Newly created Sanofi-Aventis buoyed by Acomplia
pharmafile | September 2, 2004 | News story | |
The merger of Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis to form the world's third biggest pharmaceutical company has been completed, and has coincided with encouraging news from its late-stage pipeline.
In its last set of financial figures before it begins reporting as Sanofi-Aventis, Sanofi-Synthelabo's net income increased more than 20% to E1.1 billion (compared to Aventis' more modest 5%) and was buoyed by encouraging new clinical trial data for two new drugs, one a potential blockbuster.
Acomplia (rimonabant) targets a newly discovered system in the brain, the endocannabinoid system, believed to play a vital role in regulating appetite. Scientists investigated the system after noting that people who smoked cannabis often experienced sharp increases in appetite.
Earlier trial results showed the drug to be effective in helping smokers quit the habit – giving the drug a dual purpose and prompting some parts of the media to label it 'a wonder drug'.
Acomplia could reach peak sales of E3-5 billion and if approved without delay, it will be ready for launch by 2006.
New trial data revealed at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Munich showed the drug to be effective at reducing weight.
Patients on the highest dose of Acomplia, a dual treatment for smoking and obesity, lost an average of 8.6kg over a year and trimmed their waistlines by 8.5cm.
The year-long phase III clinical trial also showed the drug reduces harmful blood fats and the so-called 'metabolic syndrome' that leads to diabetes. Being overweight, smoking and diabetes are all factors in heart disease and Sanofi-Aventis will promote the drug's ability to head off its development.
The trials also showed that side-effects were less serious than expected with nausea and diarrhoea the most common. The drugmakers are yet to prove the weight loss can be maintained, a vital component if it is to be a success.
There was further positive news for another Sanofi drug, dronedarone, which was shown to greatly reduce atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart beat.
The company's product sales rose by 14% to E4.5 billion led by its blockbuster anti-blood clotting treatment Plavix.
Sanofi's product sales in the first half of 2004 were led by: Plavix at E818 million (up 33%), Stilnox/Ambien at E661 million (5.4%), Eloxatin at E541 million (40%), Aprovel at E390 million (16.8%) and Fraxiparine at E174 million (4.8%).
Plavix overtook sleeping pill Stilnox/Ambien to become Sanofi's most valuable product, but the company faces a patent challenge from generic manufacturers in December, although analysts say Sanofi-Aventis has a good chance of winning the case.
The threat of generic competition to Plavix was a central part of Aventis' initial opposition to the Sanofi takeover bid and if successful, analysts at Deutsche Bank estimate the company's earnings would be cut by around 10% from 2005.
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