Monsanto Drug Seen Effective in Arthritis With Few Side Effects
Bloomberg News
November 10, 1998, 3:31 p.m. ET
Monsanto Drug Seen Effective in Arthritis With Few Side Effects
San Diego, Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Monsanto Co.'s Celebrex
appears to treat arthritis as well as commonly used pain
relievers, without their side effects, a new study shows.
Monsanto could start sales of Celebrex in early 1999,
working with Pfizer Inc. as a marketing partner. Rival Merck &
Co., the world's biggest drugmaker, is working on a similar drug,
Vioxx. Simultaneously, Merck released new research findings on
Vioxx, which isn't expected to start sales until later in 1999.
Researchers gave 1,004 patients with arthritis of the knee
either Celebrex, Roche Holding AG's Aleve, or placebo. Celebrex
was as effective as Aleve and as safe as the placebo, or dummy
pill, the researchers said.
''These data indicate that Celebrex is highly efficacious in
treating the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee and
at fully therapeutic doses has a safety/tolerability profile that
is similar to placebo,'' the researchers concluded.
Monsanto shares rose 7/16 to 39 5/8 in late trading.
Merck's Vioxx and Celebrex are the first of a new class of
drugs, the Cox-2 inhibitors. These drugs target the compounds in
the body linked to pain and swelling more specifically than
existing painkillers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
The Cox-2 drugs interfere with the production of the enzyme,
cyclooxygensase-2, linked to pain and swelling. Advil, Motrin and
other types of ibuprofen interfere with this enzyme and a related
one, cyclooxygenase-1, which appears to help protect the stomach
from its own acids. As a result, long-term use of existing
painkillers causes stomach bleeding and other side effects in
some patients.
The Cox-2 drugs are expected to top $1 billion each in
annuals sales. Some analysts estimate the drugs could top $5
billion combined in sales.
For Monsanto, Celebrex is seen as a key product that could
help stop a slide in its profits. Monsanto, led by Chief
Executive Robert Shapiro, has invested $8 billion in acquiring
seed and technology companies over the past two years. Its per-
share annual profits are expected to decline until 2000 when
Celebrex has its first full year of sales.
St. Louis-based Monsanto last month ended a planned $35
million merger with American Home Products.
--Jim Finkle in San Diego and Kerry Dooley in Washington through
news.com
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