BGEN's Amevive Mkting Details Under Wraps For Now...
By Paula L. Stepankowsky
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
LONGVIEW, Wash. (Dow Jones)--Investors seeking more information about how
Biogen Inc. (BGEN) plans to market its new psoriasis medication Amevive will
have to wait a little longer.
At a conference with analysts and the media following a joint meeting of the
International Psoriasis Symposium in San Francisco, Biogen researchers
declined to answer a number of forward-looking business questions, citing
competitive factors.
Amevive is locked in a fierce competition for dominance in the market with a
psoriasis drug called Xanelim, made by Genentech Inc. (DNA) and Xoma Ltd.
(XOMA).
During the two-day conference, Biogen revealed more details about its Phase
3 clinical trials now complete on Amevive. The company also released results
of a safety study that says Amevive appears to treat psoriasis without
damaging the body's ability to fight infection.
Biogen studied giving Amevive in both intramuscular and intravenous forms.
In both studies, patients given Amevive saw an improvement in their
psoriasis after 12 weeks of treatment. Additionally, 71% of patients getting
two IV courses of Amevive had a 50% or greater improvement, while 40%
achieved a 75% or greater improvement.
Which company gets to market first with its drug is a big issue, because the
market for a safe and effective psoriasis treatment has proven elusive.
About seven million Americans live with the disease, with between 600,000 to
700,000 of them diagnosed with moderate-to-severe forms of the skin disease.
Analysts estimate the new drugs could each command anywhere from $500
million to $1 billion in peak sales in 2006.
At the conference with the media and analysts, Dr. Daniel Shrager, Biogen's
director of medical research, said the company couldn't talk about how it's
going to market the drug "and how to position the drug for competitive
reasons."
Asked if the company has the data necessary to file an application for FDA
approval, Dr. Burt Adelman, vice president of medical research, responded
that it does. Shrager said the company has no plans to study whether or not
using a higher dose would be effective.'
"We have the dose that is right in IV and IM form, and we're moving forward
with filing," he said.
About the timeline for an FDA filing, Adelman said, "We're working as fast
as we can to get that done, and it will be some time in the second half of
the year."
The two researchers also declined to comment on the volume of the Amevive
injections studied.
-By Paula L. Stepankowsky, Dow Jones Newswires; 360-636-2008,
paula.stepankowsky@dowjones.com
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 06-22-0 |
