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Biogen,
Genentech battle with psoriasis drugs
Reuters
- New York
NEW
drugs to relieve pain and itching in millions of psoriasis sufferers
showed promise in studies detailed by major US biotechnology companies,
including industry heavyweights Biogen Inc and Genentech Inc.
Biogen and Genentech, in a neck-and-neck race to bring a new psoriasis
drug to the market, both said they achieved statistically significant
results that met their primary goals. Both companies plan to file
for new drug approval with regulators by the end of this year or
early next year.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen said 40 per cent of patients
tested with its Amevive drug experienced a 75 per cent reduction
in their condition, as measured by a medical index. The company
conducted two trials that tested 1,000 subjects.
South San Francisco-based Genentech conducted a single study of
498 patients, of which 39 per cent achieved a 75 per cent level
of improvement. Of 123 patients who did not experience a 75 per
cent improvement after 12 weeks, and were given a second dose, 20
per cent experienced a 75 per cent improvement.
The results of the phase III trials, the last needed before a company
can apply for new drug approval, will be closely scrutinised by
analysts seeking clues as to which drug may gain a greater share
of the market. Between 1 and 2 per cent of the world’s population
suffer from psoriasis, a condition characterised by thick, scaly
patches on the skin.
There are some 4 million sufferers in the United States alone. Both
companies presented their data at the International Psoriasis Symposium
in San Francisco. Genentech released its data after the market closed.
Biogen announced its results earlier. Its shares rose $2.62, or
4.08 per cent, to close at $66.80. In Biogen’s trial, 71 per
cent of patients achieved a 50 per cent reduction in the severity
of their condition. Genentech said 61 per cent of its patients achieved
the same result. Genentech said it will present the results of a
second phase III trial at the America Academy of Dermotologists
conference in late July.
The drugs use different delivery methods. Biogen conducted trials
using both intramuscular and intravenous delivery mechanisms. Results
were comparable in both trials and the company plans to file for
approval for both. The dosage level for the intramuscular treatment
is 15 milligrams. The dosage for the intravenous method is 7.5 milligrams,
said Gunther Winkler, programme executive for the trial.
Genentech’s drug is delivered by injection under the skin.
Like insulin injections for diabetes, patients can administer Xanelim
to themselves at home. Genentech’s trial showed that patients
given a higher dose of Xanelim showed less improvement than those
given a lower dose. The company said, however, that it had not decided
which dose level to take forward.
Biogen and Genentech have lots of rivals fighting for a share of
the market, with at least 30 other psoriasis drugs in development.
Brunswick, New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson presented information
at the conference about its Remicade drug. Already approved for
treatment of Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis, Remicade
has shown promise as a psoriasis treatment, but has yet to go through
phase III clinical trials. Alice Gottlieb, principal investigator
of a phase II, 10-week study of 33 patients, told the conference
that the trial found that 82 per cent of patients receiving 5 milligrams
per kilogram of Remicade achieved a 75 per cent reduction in psoriasis
symptoms as measured by the psoriasis severity index. 73 per cent
of patients receiving 10 milligrams per kilogram achieved a 75 per
cent reduction.
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