StatinWars, Episode IIV - New Allies to Defeat the Evil Vytorin
AstraZeneca and Abbott are to co-develop a combo cholesterol pill, using the British firm's "superstatin" (LOL) Crestor and a new fibrate, ABT 335, from Abbott.
The partners, who will share development costs and profits, hope to have the fixed-dose combination medicine ready for U.S. regulatory submission in 2009.
The new product is designed to cut levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while boosting "good" HDL cholesterol.
The combo is likely to compete with Merck and Schering-Plough's Vytorin, which also combines two ingredients in a single cholesterol treatment.
However, AZ and Abbott are hedging their bets. In parallel, a combination based on the Abbott's existing fibrate TriCor and Crestor will also be evaluated, with final selection between the two programmes made based upon data generated from initial studies. The cautious hand of AZ's development director, Dr John S Patterson, here, perhaps?
Source: Reuters
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