NICE backs limited use of Lilly’s Plavix rival

pharmafile | September 7, 2009 | News story | Research and Development |ย ย Efient, NICEย 

 

NICE has recommended Lilly and Daiichi’s Efient for use on the NHS, giving the blood-thinner drug a boost in its fight for market share with established blockbuster Plavix.

Efient (prasugrel) is recommended in combination with aspirin as an option for some patients undergoing a surgical procedure to clear blocked arteries, known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

But the guidance is limited to higher-risk patients. It says Efient can be used to prevent atherothrombotic events in those with acute coronary syndromes only when either immediate PCI is necessary, stent thrombosis has occurred during Plavix treatment, or the patient has diabetes mellitus.

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Efient was launched first in April 2009, and the co-marketers chose the UK as the place to first market the oral anti-platelet drug.

It is expected to earn around $3 billion in peak sales, and will compete with Sanofi-Aventis and BMS’s Plavix, which makes annual sales worldwide of $9 billion as a treatment for heart-attack patients.

Plavix has had a stronghold on the market for years but now faces competition from Effient and also Brilinta, a new treatment from AstraZeneca that could reach the market next year.

However, Plavix loses patent protection soon and will be widely available as a cheap generic, which make it a better option for cash-stricken healthcare services.

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