One of the oddities of Big Pharma is the decline of MTC despite the success of Celebrex.
BigKNY3
Searle sees rise in Celebrex new users
By Susan Nadeau
CHICAGO, April 16 (Reuters) - G.D. Searle & Co. <MTC.N> said Friday it expects new prescriptions of its blockbuster arthritis drug Celebrex to resume their upward trend despite a dip over the Easter holiday.
"We expect continued growth in Celebrex, both on the new (prescription) and the refill side," Joseph Papa, president of Searle's U.S. operations, said in an interview. "People are refilling Celebrex at a higher rate than they have refilled other (pain relief) products at a comparable stage in their launch."
New prescriptions of Celebrex appeared to peak in its 10th week on the U.S. market at about 250,000, according to NDC Health Information Services.
Total weekly prescriptions for Celebrex rose to the highest level yet -- 330,518 -- for the week ended April 9, NDC said. New prescriptions alone, however, fell to 239,248 in the week, the 12th weekly reporting period since the product was launched, down from 242,830 the previous week.
Papa said more than 2.7 million prescriptions have been written since Celebrex hit the U.S. market in January. Analysts have said it is on track to be the fastest-selling new drug in history, topping Pfizer Inc.'s <PFE.N> impotency drug Viagra.
Celebrex was the first of a new class of Cox-2 inhibitors to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was designed to treat pain and arthritis without causing the ulcers and other gastrointestinal side effects often seen in drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is scheduled to review the first potential U.S. competitor to Celebrex, Merck and Co. Inc.'s <MRK.N> Vioxx, on April 20-21. A COX-2 inhibitor like Celebrex, FDA approval of Vioxx is expected by late May.
Papa said Searle "welcomes" the arrival of Vioxx.
"What we do realize is that the introduction of Merck can only help us to grow the total market," Papa said.
Papa said the overall pain reliever market had been growing at about 1 to 3 percent annually, but since the entrance of Celebrex in January, sales are up over 20 percent. The global analgesic market has been estimated at $8 billion, with the U.S. market alone pegged at $4 billion.
Celebrex is approved in the United States for treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but the company is still seeking clearance to market it for general pain relief. Merck is seeking approval to market Vioxx for osteoarthritis, general pain relief and management of menstrual pain.
Papa said Searle's Celebrex marketing program, along with co-promoter Pfizer Inc. <PFE.N>, is "very large and very extensive", but declined to give specific sales force figures.
"We have very much prepared for the launch of Celebrex, and the potential launch of any competitor," Papa said.
Searle is a subsidiary of life sciences company Monsanto Co. Shares of St. Louis-based Monsanto were off 5/8 at 42-1/2. |
