Daiichi upbeat on drug to prevent strokes and clots

By Edwina Gibbs

TOKYO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd (4568.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday it was highly satisfied with mid-stage results for a key drug to prevent strokes and clots, and would move on to late-stage trials despite fierce competition in the field.

It also said it would aim to seek approval for a diabetes drug candidate in 2011, hoping to prove its superiority to market leader Actos, but it offered little news on closely watched blood thinner prasugrel, which it recently submitted for approval with partner Eli Lilly (LLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Daiichi Sankyo is one of several drug makers racing to develop alternatives to warfarin, used for decades to prevent strokes in people with atrial fibrillation -- or irregular heartbeat -- and prevent blood clots after orthopaedic surgery.

Warfarin, sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) under the brand name Coumadin but now widely available as a generic medicine, is notoriously difficult to tolerate due to its interactions with food and other medicines, and needs constant monitoring.

The potential market size for the drug class, known as Factor Xa drugs, is by seen by some as $5 billion-plus, and Daiichi Sankyo global R&D head John Alexander believes the company is running third behind rivals in terms of clinical trial progress.

A once-daily pill called rivaroxaban, being developed jointly by Bayer AG (BAYG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), is believed to be the furthest along, followed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Pfizer's (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) apixaban.

Domestic rival Astellas Pharma (4503.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is also developing a rival drug called YM150 and privately held Boehringer-Ingelheim is working on a drug with a different mechanism but which would compete in the same market.

"There is a lot of competition but it is a massive market and we expect the number of patients to increase. We're aiming to develop the best-in-class drug," said Kazunori Hirokawa, an R&D executive officer at Daiichi Sankyo.