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Biotech / Medical : XOMA. Bull or Bear? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: opalapril who wrote (9382)	3/25/1999 7:20:00 PM
From: Bluegreen	Respond to of 17367

Pharmacia-Upjohn Has New Antibiotic By PHIL GALEWITZ .c The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) -- Drug maker Pharmacia & Upjohn is banking on a new type of antibiotic to fight bacterial infections that are increasingly resistant to existing drugs. But while studies indicate the drug, Zyvox, works well, its success in the marketplace may be hurt by doctors who prefer to use older therapies first, analysts say. Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. officials say patients would be best served if doctors use Zyvox first, especially when other drugs are known to fail in fighting certain bacteria. The company expects to apply for U.S. approval for Zyvox later this year. If approved, the drug would be the first new class of antibiotic on the market in 30 years. ''Bacteria have never seen an antibiotic like Zyvox,'' Gary Tarpley, Pharmacia & Upjohn's vice president of discovery research, told analysts at a meeting in New York on Thursday. ''It is superior to existing drugs.'' But some doctors say a new antibiotic like Zyvox should be reserved for special cases, in part to slow down the time it takes the bugs to become resistant to the new drug. ''There's a lot of argument about how do you best prevent resistance. Do you go for the big gun and kill everything or use the simplest antibiotics?'' said Trish Perl, the top infection control officer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. ''People don't know which strategy is best.'' Zyvox has some unique properties, Perl said, but she thinks doctors may benefit from first using older drugs such as penicillin. ''If the patient needs the drug they will get it, but do you need to always use a high octane gas for your car even when your engine will run fine on low octane?'' Zyvox is considered part of a new class of antibiotics because the drug attacks bacteria before the start of the bacterial growth cycle, earlier than other antibiotics currently available, the company said. The earlier that cycle is interrupted, the quicker the drug can restore the patient's health. The drug can be administered orally or intravenously. Jack Lamberton, an analyst with HSBC Securities, said Zyvox presents a tough challenge for Pharmacia & Upjohn's marketers. If the drug is used the way the company wants, annual sales would easily surpass $1 billion; if the drug is used as a last line of defense, annual revenue would be significantly less, he said. Drug companies come out with new antibiotics every few years but because they work similar to drugs already available, bacteria are more likely to become resistant to them, Perl said. About 160 antibiotics are available to fight disease. But drug resistance is becoming a major issue in combating tuberculosis or certain types of hospital-based staphylococcus infections, for example. Many antibiotics no longer have much effect on these virulent organisms. The prospect of infectious bacteria becoming immune to all available antibiotics has shaken the public health community, which now warns doctors that overprescribing of antibiotics can hasten the evolution of resistant germs. Several drug manufactures are working on developing new types of antibiotics. French drug maker Rhone Poulenc Rorer is awaiting federal Food and Drug Administration approval for Synercid, which also would be a new class of antibiotics. The Bridgewater, N.J.-based Pharmacia & Upjohn's new class of antibiotic is still likely to face bacterial resistance, but it should take the microorganisms a longer time to figure a way to beat the drug, Perl said. ''The organisms are smarter than we are,'' she said. If Zyvox is used liberally, Perl said, bacteria could develop resistance quickly. Pharmacia & Upjohn disputes that point, saying that the use of antibiotics is not the sole cause of drug resistance. ''The company feels strongly that Zyvox as an early treatment is the appropriate strategy,'' Tarpley said. ''It doesn't seem an optimal strategy to use agents that patients know are resistant and then switch later.'' Shares of Pharmacia & Upjohn closed at $59.50, up $1.37 1/2, in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. AP-NY-03-25-99 1846EST