| March
27, 2007--The
race to deliver the next breakthrough in
cholesterol-lowering is changing dramatically. Just
recently, Pfizer stumbled in its attempt to develop a
combination based on its super blockbuster Lipitor (atorvastatin)
and a new compound called torcetrapib, a cholesteryl ester
transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor. Now, Merck and
Schering-Plough have announced plans to develop yet
another new combination.
The new
product will combine ezetimibe (Merck/Schering-Plough’s
Zetia) and atorvastatin (Pfizer’s Lipitor).
The pill will be launched as atorvastatin’s
patent expires, which will be around 2010.
It will be marketed by a joint venture called
Merck/Schering-Plough, formed in 2001 to develop and
market new cholesterol and respiratory disease products in
the US. The
joint venture already markets ezetimibe and a pill that
combines that drug with simvastatin (Merck’s Zocor).
Combination
products are seen as possibly the next potential
breakthrough for treating atherosclerosis.
Although this is already the world’s largest
therapeutic market, worth about $32 billion, better
therapies are needed. The statins, such as atorvastatin
and simvastatin, target LDL levels (the bad cholesterol).
Despite aggressive statin therapy, however, many patients
do not lower their LDL level enough to prevent progress of
their disease.
Pfizer’s
torcetrapib was tested in combination with atorvastatin,
which has been the world’s top-selling drug for the last
several years. With
atorvastatin edging toward patent expiration, Pfizer had
sought to extend the old drug’s life at the same time it
was bringing the new drug — torcetrapib — to market.
But trial
results showed the combination not only failed to
impact disease as anticipated, it also led to higher blood
pressure in some patients.
Ezetimibe
works by inhibiting cholesterol absorption in the
digestive track. The
ezetimibe/simvastatin combination (Vytorin) is already a
big success, reaping over $2 billion in sales annually.
By introducing an ezetimibe/atorvastatin
combination, Merck/Schering-Plough could not only gain a
nice new slice of the cholesterol-lowering market, it will
also be taking a share that Pfizer had its eye on.
For
more on combination therapies, see PharmaWeek
Strategic Briefing: “Finding
the Magic in Fixed Combinations.”
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