AstraZeneca: Toprol ruling worsens generic woes

AstraZeneca has been left facing a significant revenue loss after a US court ruled that two Toprol XL patents were invalid. In the face of this new generic threat, combined with existing challenges to the company's other blockbuster drugs and its weak pipeline, AstraZeneca can now only hope its strategy of in-licensing products can be relied upon to keep the money coming in.

Published By Datamonitor

Cardiome: heart failure

Cardiome Pharma has revealed that its phase II study investigating the safety and efficacy of oxypurinol in heart failure patients failed to meet both the primary and secondary endpoints, sparking debate over oxypurinol's future. Indeed, it looks like Cardiome may now have to put all of its eggs into one basket, depending on its other pipeline drug, RSD1235.

Published By Datamonitor

Carvedilol: COMET leaves questions

The primary results of the COMET trial showed that carvedilol-treated patients had a 17% lower mortality rate than metoprolol-treated patients. However, the trial used immediate release rather than controlled release metropolol, leaving doubts over the validity of the comparison.

Published By Datamonitor

Heart failure: pipeline dominated by approved drugs

Published By Datamonitor

Heart failure: quality of care is a gamble in US hospitals

A study funded by Scios has found that four standard treatment measures key to treating heart failure are unwittingly withheld in a number of US hospitals. In order to address this issue, hospitals should look to improve educational programs for physicians, as well as considering an increase in the use of certain key cardiovascular drugs.

Published By Datamonitor

Is diagnosis failing heart failure patients?

It is widely acknowledged that heart failure has reached epidemic proportions. Datamonitor estimates that chronic heart failure (CHF) currently affects approximately 18.5 millions individuals globally and forecasts that this number may increase to 33.2 million by 2015, driven by aging populations and the much publicized diabetes and obesity epidemics.

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Mild heart failure: Italy leads in one-year survival rates

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Nobex/Biocon: novel peptide peps up cardiovascular hopes

Nobex and Biocon have signed an agreement to develop an oral B-type natriuretic peptide. The collaboration should prove an exciting opportunity to work on a product with a number of indications in cardiovascular therapy. Furthermore, thanks to its promising safety profile, the product candidate has the potential to fill a gap in the chronic heart failure market.

Published By Datamonitor

Novartis: disappointing results from VALUE trial

Novartis [NVS] will be disappointed about the failure of Diovan (valsartan) to show greater efficacy than Pfizer's [PFE] market leading amlodipine-based therapy Norvasc in high-risk hypertensive patients. However, Novartis can take some comfort from findings that suggest valsartan may reduce the onset of diabetes.

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Pfizer: Inspra to be a cardio blockbuster

The approval of Pfizer's [PFE] Inspra (eplerenone) for post-MI heart failure patients, based on the EPHESUS trial results, should be sufficient for use of the drug to exceed that of its less well tolerated predecessor, spironolactone. With marketing support from Pfizer, Inspra is all set for blockbuster status.

Published By Datamonitor