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Market intelligence for Medical, Pharmaceutical and
Healthcare Sales Professionals
Market intelligence for Medical, Pharmaceutical and
Healthcare Sales Professionals
'Silent
killer' osteoporosis quietly on the increase
(Published 8 January
2005)
Osteoporosis currently affects 30 million people (predominantly
women) worldwide and if left untreated, can be fatal. Historically hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) has been used to help prevent the bone loss that
leads to osteoporosis. However recent negative study results have lead to a
rapid decline in its use, which may lead to a significant increase in the
prevalence of osteoporosis. [read
article]
UK doctors slow to utilize combination therapy for
hypertension
(Published 24/12/04)
According to new Datamonitor
research, the majority of hypertension sufferers are not fully controlled on a
single antihypertensive therapy. With many patients requiring a combination of
two or three drugs from different classes to adequately lower their blood
pressure, not enough doctors are recognizing the importance of multiple drug
administration. Datamonitor estimates that over one in four people globally
suffer from hypertension, yet some doctors (especially those in the UK) have
yet to come to appreciate the importance of using multiple drugs to control the
condition in their patients. [Read
article]
Sorafenib offers hope in
the battle for liver cancer survival
(Published: 17/12/04)
The
outlook for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) sufferers is bleak - current
medication has a five-year survival rate for those with liver cancer of less
than 5% in the developed world and even lower in developing countries. However,
patients in trials of a new drug called Sorafenib have seen their survival
times double. Datamonitor's Dr Lorna Fern investigates... Liver cancer is
currently the fifth most common cancer in the world, responsible for about one
million cases and half a million deaths globally every year. HCC is a tumor of
the liver that arises from focal scarring points in cirrhotic liver tissue, and
its global incidence is on the increase, concurrent with a global increase in
the number of cases of viral hepatitis and of alcoholic cirrhosis in developed
countries. Some specialists have described it as a 'waiting epidemic'. In the
US alone there has been a three-fold increase in the incidence of HCC over the
last decade. Similar trends have been seen in four other pharmaceutical markets
including the United Kingdom, France and Canada. [Read article]
Serevent warning
focuses attention on the need for combination therapy
(Published:
10/12/04)
The recent announcement by the FDA's associate director for
science and medicine that sales of GlaxoSmithKline's asthma drug Serevent
should be restricted, or halted, led to an estimated 3.8% fall in the company's
share price. However, Datamonitor's Laura Harris comments that, with Seretide
accounting for the majority of GSK's asthma sales, the panic may be premature.
During a senate hearing, convened following the withdrawal of Merck & Co.'s
COX-2 Vioxx (rofecoxib) in September, the FDA's David Graham commented that the
safety profile of five other currently marketed drugs should be closely
examined. Pfizer's COX-2 Bextra (valdecoxib), similar to Vioxx, was mentioned,
as were Astra-Zeneca's cholesterol-lowering statin Crestor (rosuvastatin
calcium), Roche's acne treatment Accutane (isotretinoin) and Abbott's weight
loss drug Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate). It was at the same
hearing that Dr Graham raised concerns about GSK's asthma inhaler Serevent
(salmeterol). [Read
article]
Arava: the
'sixth drug' that may soon be under fire
(Published: 03/12/04)
At a recent hearing into the Vioxx affair, the FDA's Dr David Graham named
five drugs that he considers too dangerous to be on the market. However, in his
testimony, Dr Graham also cited Sanofi-Aventis' Arava as a drug he has
recommended be withdrawn. Unlike the other five drugs, Arava has largely
escaped the media spotlight, but there may yet be some tough questions asked
about its safety. Arava (leflunomide) is marketed by Aventis, part of
Sanofi-Aventis, and recorded sales of $288 million in 2003. It is an oral
disease modifying treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and may be next in
the firing line for increased regulatory scrutiny, in the wake of the
withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib).
[Read article]
Tigecycline offers new hope in the
battle against MRSA
(Published: 26/11/04)
Study data
presented at a major recent conference has demonstrated that Wyeth's novel
antibacterial tigecycline acts against drug-resistant pathogens in some serious
bacterial infections, including MRSA. While Wyeth will have to work hard to
establish tigecycline in this competitive area, its encouraging tolerability
profile could give it a useful advantage over existing treatments. US
pharmaceuticals company Wyeth presented a range of clinical data at the 44th
Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in
October, including Phase III data from a clinical trial in patients with
complicated intra-abdominal infections and from another in complicated skin and
soft tissue infections (cSSI). The first trial, which compared tigecycline to
Merck & Co's carbapenem Primaxin (imipenem/cilastin), found that a
twice-daily dose of tigecycline was non-inferior to a comparable regime of
Primaxin. In addition, adverse events occurred as often with Primaxin as with
tigecycline, with the most common being gastrointestinal in nature. [Read article]
Promising Antegren data ruffles
Serono
(Published: 19/11/04)
Newly-released phase III
trial data for Biogen-Idec/Elan's multiple sclerosis pipeline drug Antegren was
a key issue at Serono's recent investor's meeting, giving the company an
opportunity to raise concerns over the paucity of the presented data. Indeed,
without supplying further details over the safety and efficacy of the drug,
Biogen may struggle to gain approval in the near future. Biogen-Idec/Elan's
Antegren (natalizumab) is a novel, first-in-class drug for the treatment of
multiple sclerosis (MS). Biogen's biologics license application (BLA) in May
2004 was designated for priority review, and Biogen currently anticipates a
positive response from the FDA by the end of November 2004. The BLA was based
on one-year data from two ongoing two-year phase III trials, examining the
safety and efficacy of Antegren as a monotherapy and as a combination with
Biogen-Idec's Avonex. [Read
article]
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