Forum Archive Index - January 2003

["G Stolwyk" <stolwyk@wave.co.nz>]

FINAL: Summarizing the position:
Gen could still get a Patent as it would have followed a different path.

The question is "What about the markets"?

I would say that both AMGEN and J&J will get their patents.

However, another Anti-TNF drug has just been approved for RA (fully humanized-injection every 2 weeks), the wonder drug Humira (D2E7) by ABBOTT. I would say they'll be in smartly with their Crohn and Psoriasis trials and these would get the FDA approval very fast.

So, even if GEN is successful, it will have to compete with 3 powerful companies, each already with complete marketing systems.

And at the end of next year, Celltech will have a RA drug ready to be
approved by the FDA- most likely an Anti-TNF based one: CDP870.

There is no end to the queue!

That is my opinion,

Gerry

All three drugs work the same way, by blocking a molecule called the tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which causes inflammation when secreted by cells in the immune system