Statins: can the third generation make an impression?

In November 2002 Crestor, AstraZeneca's third generation statin, received its first approval, marking the arrival of the new "superstatins" and illustrating the new threat to the current market leaders Pfizer and Merck & Co. However, this new generation of dyslipidemia treatments may not be as successful as earlier launched products and may suffer from the maturing nature of the market.

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Schering-Plough/Centocor: wider Remicade indication

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Pharmaceutical Licensing Weekly Review: August 19 - 23, 2002

Last week's licensing news featured three of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies: first GlaxoSmithKline joined Pfizer in an alliance with Argonaut, then Pharmacia joined forces with BattellePharma. Johns Hopkins University also had a busy week beating out deals with Crucell and Correlogic Systems. Finally Amgen and Praecis agreed to terminate their failed relationship.

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Organon: Remeron best for stressed depressives

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Organon/Pfizer: end of schizophrenic relationship

With an impending IPO, Organon has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Pfizer's marketing clout for the potential blockbuster schizophrenia treatment asenapine. In order to maximize the sales return on this late stage candidate, Organon needs to establish another collaboration with a strong US focus to crack the world's biggest market.

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Merck: generic Singulair threat becomes reality

As anticipated, Merck is about to face a significant decrease in revenue as the first generic versions of its blockbuster Singulair reach the US market. Although Merck's strong pipeline is aimed at offsetting the impact of generic erosion, little can be done in the immediate future to stem this loss.

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EULAR: Roche and BMS target RA market

By presenting new data at the rheumatology conference currently being held in Amsterdam, Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb are hoping to encourage uptake of their recently approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Although the data illustrates the addition of valuable new treatment options, an increasingly competitive market is set to limit the impact of Rituxan and Orencia in this indication.

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CryoCor: competing in cardiac cryoablation

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Crucell: failed vaccine disappoints

Crucell has halted development of Aerugen, its late-stage vaccine candidate for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients, following disappointing phase III trial results. Although this is something of a setback for vaccine development within the field of cystic fibrosis, other efforts focusing on ion channel therapy still provide a glimmer of hope.

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AstraZeneca: first market approval for Crestor

Although Crestor will be the first third generation statin to launch in western markets, the drug will not make as significant an impact as Pfizer's Lipitor. Safety-driven delays to Crestor's launch mean that it will be competing in a more mature market, and AstraZeneca will have trouble matching the marketing strength of top players Pfizer and Merck & Co.

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