BMS, Astra obesity drugs in doubt as rivals fail
LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The decision by Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA) and Pfizer (PFE.N) to stop development of a once-promising class of drugs for obesity casts a long shadow over remaining experimental drugs of the same type.
The other most advanced so-called cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor antagonists in development are Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N) and Solvay's ibipinabant and AZD-2207 from AstraZeneca (AZN.L), both of which are in mid-stage Phase II tests, according to Thomson Pharma data.
Early-stage clinical projects include V-24343 from Vernalis (VER.L) and a second AstraZeneca product, AZD-1175, both of which are in the Phase I development.
"It is going to be very difficult for others," said Ben Yeoh, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort. "I think it might be very difficult to get through the regulatory process with this class of drugs now."
Sanofi on Wednesday finally pulled the plug on Acomplia -- once its biggest new drug hope, which some analysts had seen selling up to $5 billion a year -- by discontinuing all clinical trials of the medicine, including those in diabetes.
Pfizer announced the same day it was terminating late-stage development of its experimental obesity drug otenabant. The world's biggest drugmaker cited a more conservative regulatory climate and problems seen with other medicines from the same class for its decision.
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CB1 drugs work by blocking the same receptors in the brain that make people hungry after smoking marijuana. But they have also been linked to psychiatric side effects, such as depression and suicidal thoughts.
Acomplia, which led the field, had already been withdrawn from the European market last month after being linked to mental disorders. It failed to win regulatory clearance in the United States in 2007.
Merck & Co (MRK.N) last month stopped development of its obesity drug in the class, taranabant, due to side effects at higher doses.
Evaluate Pharma, which compiles consensus drug forecasts, said the failure of the three most advanced CB1 medicines had effectively wiped out $14.4 billion in potential cumulative revenues 2007 and 2012, compared with analyst forecasts just 18 months ago.
Prior to the rejection of Acomplia in the United States in 2007, hopes for CB1 medicines had been riding high. But the U.S. rebuff and an increasingly cautious climate among regulators worldwide caused analysts to take a knife to bullish sales projections.
