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September 04, 2007
Cholesterol Reduction through Combination Treatments: The Race Continues
Since Merck and Schering-Plough partnered to launch combination cholesterol fighter Vytorin in 2004, the cardiovascular market has been anxiously awaiting the next blockbuster combination drug. Anticipation surrounding Pfizer's would-be combination therapy of Lipitor and torcetrapib died down after the pharma giant released less-than-ideal trial results late last year. Other hopefuls, such as Pfizer's Caduet and NitroMed's BiDil, survived clinical trials but have not performed as expected on the market. What gives?
What determines success in this sensitive therapeutic area has been a topic of much debate. According to some, what differentiates CV from other arenas is the health risks inherent in cholesterol and lipid treatments. To successfully market a combination CV drug requires excellent clinical performance. Touting a treatment's convenience is not enough. Pharma companies must convince physicians and patients of a combination's superiority to that of its constituent treatments. This involves not only demonstrating efficacy, but accounting for harmful side effects as well. The second task can prove especially difficult, as demonstrated by Pfizer's Lipitor-Torcetrapib combination.
Despite these hurdles, AstraZeneca and Abbott Laboratories are in the midst of clinical trials for a combination using AstraZeneca's Crestor and Abbott's next-generation fenofibrate ABT-335. If approved, the combination could be a boon for its parent companies—the treatment targets good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and triglycerides all in one tablet, an unprecedented feat. Considering the novelty of the combination, I'd say it has an excellent chance of doing well - that is, if it wades through the remaining clinical trials unscathed.
Abbott expects to submit the combination for FDA approval in 2009. The question is: does the Crestor/ABT-335 combo have what it takes to become the next Vyotrin? Only time, coupled with clinical performance, will tell.
Posted by Haley Wynn at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)