Centocor, Merck [Monsanto and Immunix] to Release Data on New Wave of Arthritis Drugs
Bloomberg News
November 6, 1998, 7:53 a.m. ET
Centocor, Merck to Release Data on New Wave of Arthritis Drugs
San Diego, Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Centocor Inc., Merck & Co.,
Monsanto Co., and Immunex Corp. will release data next week on a
new generation of arthritis drugs that could change the way
doctors treat the condition that afflicts 40 million Americans.
As physicians attend the largest annual meeting of arthritis
specialists in San Diego, they'll review results of trials on two
new treatments for osteoarthritis, the degenerative joint disease
associated with aging, from a class of drugs known as Cox-2
inhibitors. And they'll discuss use of two bioengineered drugs
for rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating disease that causes the
body to attack its own soft tissue and joints.
U.S. regulators this week cleared Immunex Corp.'s Enbrel for
rheumatoid arthritis. The approval follows the September approval
of Hoechst's Arava, the first new drug approved in 13 years for
the disease that confines some sufferers to their beds and others
to wheelchairs.
''We're entering a very new era in medicine in general, and
particularly for arthritis drugs,'' said Steven B. Abramson,
chairman of the department of rheumatology and medicine at the
Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York. ''What we're seeing with
the emergence of these drugs is the power of biological
medicine.''
Monsanto and Merck will unveil studies at the annual meeting
of the American College of Rheumatology on the so-called Cox-2
drugs for pain and inflammation, which are designed to be safer
than existing painkillers such as American Home Products Corp.'s
Advil.
Cox-2 Drugs
The Cox-2 drugs, which are expected to win approval next
year, could have sales that far exceed the existing painkillers,
analysts said.
''If you can get a viable treatment with minimal side
effects, a lot of people are going to come crawling out of the
woodwork for these drugs,'' said Jack Lafferty, an analyst with
U.S. Trust, which holds about 4.3 million Merck shares, according
to regulatory filings. ''1999 should be a great year for people
with arthritis.''
The number of arthritis sufferers could grow 50 percent to
60 million by 2020 as baby boomers age. Sales of the drugs could
top $5 billion a year.
''These drugs will help a lot of people,'' said Leonard
Yaffe, an analyst with NationsBanc Montgomery Securities. ''They
will be bigger than Viagra.''
Introduced in April, Pfizer's Viagra pill for impotence
topped $500 million in sales in its first six months on the
market, setting a record as the best U.S. drug introduction.
The new-generation arthritis drugs were discovered as
scientists gained a better understanding of how specific
proteins, the basic building blocks of living things, work to
protect the body.
Proteins Studied
In the past, drugmakers found medicines by testing compounds
in dishes and determining what might have an effect on humans.
Only recently have scientists identified what makes aspirin work,
although the drug has been used for more than a century. That
discovery helped pave the way for the Cox-2 drugs. Researchers
looked at the kinds of proteins affected by aspirin and focused
on a way to cure pain and swelling without blocking some
reactions the body needs.
As a result, Cox-2 drugs don't irritate the lining of the
stomach. All of these drugs works by interfering with an enzyme,
cyclooxygenase-2, linked to pain and swelling.
The older drugs hamper a related enzyme, cyclooxygenase-1,
as well. This enzyme plays a role in protecting the stomach from
the acid it contains. As a result, older drugs can cause ulcers
and other complications. An estimated 7,600 people die each year
as a result. Other can't tolerate the side effects and try to
live with the pain.
Injectable Drugs
Analysts say the market for the new injectable drugs from
Immunex and Centocor could be between $300 million and $1 billion
a year, representing the payoff for decades of biological
research.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's own immune systems
attacks the lining of the joints. The new drugs target and
counterattack the errant proteins involved in this attack.
Enbrel will be co-marketed by American Home Products Corp.
which holds a majority stake in Immunex. Like Remicade, the drug
targets a protein, tumor necrosis factor linked to rheumatoid
arthritis. This protein, which can help the body in other
situations, runs amuck and draws immune-system cells and related
enzymes to attack joints and even bone.
While these drugs could make a big difference in the lives
of patients, some analysts say these compounds are just the first
generation in a new wave of arthritis drugs that will
revolutionize treatment of the disease.
''We still don't fully understand what sets off this
inflammation process,'' said Arthur Weaver, director of clinical
research at the Arthritis Center of Nebraska in Lincoln.
--Jim Finkle in San Francisco and Kerry Dooley in Princeton |
