The latest Opinion
Whither the EU patent?
It's been a big week for watchers of the patent scene, with major – some would say historic - upheavals in prospect on both sides of the Atlantic. Not only is the US patent system poised to shift from a first-to-invent to a first-to-file system, but EU is forging ahead with fresh plans for a single patent amid great legal and political uncertainty. While the two initiatives are very different in nature, both are aimed improving the way that patents are filed and litigated. The US patent reform bill system has the backing of industry bodies including PhRMA and BIO, and ...
Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline dominate proceedings at ECCEO-11 with Prolia presentations
Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline dominate proceedings at ECCEO-11 with Prolia presentations. Amgen's and GlaxoSmithKline's main goal at ECCEO-11 was to educate delegates regarding Prolia's unique mechanism of action and its key differentiators, such as its mode of administration and efficacy. Long-term safety data were presented in an attempt to address Phase III trial issues; however, it is unlikely that physicians will be persuaded to use Prolia as a first-line therapy in the near term. Datamonitor attended the 2011 International Osteoporosis Foundation's European Congress on Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ECCEO) in Valencia, Spain, which ran between March ...
Pfizer attempts to redefine the troubled SERM market at ECCEO-11
Pfizer attempts to redefine the troubled SERM market at ECCEO-11. At this year's ECCEO, Pfizer introduced Conbriza, the second selective estrogen receptor modulator to launch in the EU. Despite its favorable uterine and breast safety profile compared to competitor drug Evista, Datamonitor believes that a significant increase in sales of the treatment class in Europe is unlikely, due to questionable efficacy in non-vertebral fracture prevention. Pfizer and its Spanish partner Almiral used the 2011 European Congress on Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ECCEO) in Valencia, Spain, which ran between March 23 and 26, to present Conbriza (bazedoxifene), ...
UK budget: uncertainty remains over intellectual property legislation
The latest UK budget has incentivized branded pharmaceutical manufacturers to stay in the country. George Osborne, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has attempted to appease branded pharmaceutical manufacturers in his 2011 budget announcement by introducing lower corporate tax rates and increasing R&D incentives. However, it is still unclear as to whether he will go even further and reform the Bolar exemption, which could harm generic drug producers, and lead to a rise in NHS drug spending. With large multinational companies such as Pfizer ready to pack up and leave the country, the UK government ...
AD/PD 2011: Alzheimer’s companies showcase new data for marketed brands
Datamonitor recently attended the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases (AD/PD 2011) in Barcelona, Spain, held over March 9-13, 2011. Below are the highlights of the conference's coverage of currently marketed treatments for both diseases. Forest, Lundbeck, and Johnson & Johnson were all present to promote their Alzheimer's disease drugs Despite the lack of approved therapies in Alzheimer's disease, three of the main players presented positive data to reinforce their positions in the market place. Firstly, Forest presented three posters of its N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist Namenda (memantine). In a time-to-event analysis, the drug performed well compared to placebo, ...
AD/PD 2011: far too early to lay beta-amyloid hypothesis to rest
Datamonitor recently attended the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases (AD/PD 2011) in Barcelona, Spain, held over March 9-13, 2011. Below are the highlights of the conference's coverage of pipeline Alzheimer's drugs. Beta amyloid remains at the forefront of Alzheimer's disease research In the opening presentation of AD/PD 2011, Professor Korczyn outlined why we have so far failed to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. He argued that the most common hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease - beta amyloid plaques and tau tangles - are like "tombstones", in that they are markers of damage already done. As the beta amyloid hypothesis ...
Novartis: strengthening vaccines presence in the lucrative Chinese market
Swiss-based Novartis has acquired a majority stake in a Chinese vaccines company. Novartis has completed the acquisition of an 85% stake in the Chinese vaccines company Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceuticals. Faced with limited growth opportunities in the Western markets, all major vaccines players are expanding activities into growth markets due to the high incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases and increasing public and private healthcare spending. Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceuticals is a privately owned vaccines company offering a range of marketed vaccine products in China and a pipeline focused on various preventable viral and bacterial diseases. Pharmaceutical companies have traditionally focused on the Western markets as patients ...
Astellas: positive Phase III data bode well for novel overactive bladder candidate
Astellas has presented positive new Phase III data for mirabegron, a drug that treats overactive bladder symptoms. The efficacy and safety profile suggests that the drug is well positioned to address some of the unmet needs in the overactive bladder market, and should cardiovascular safety be established, mirabegron is likely to become a leading treatment option. At the 26th Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology in Vienna, two abstracts were presented discussing the results of two Phase III trials assessing the efficacy and safety of mirabegron in treating overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. Both trials were double-blind and placebo-controlled, and ...
