First Launch Of P&U's Omacor

Pharmacia & Upjohn's new lipid-lowering drug Omacor (highly-purified omega-3 ethyl ester concentrate) has been introduced onto the market in Norway for the treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia. This is the first launch of the product. It is already approved in France, and P&U intends to launch the drug in other major markets such as Germany, Spain, Holland, the UK, Scandinavia and Austria when approvals are granted.

The rationale for Omacor is based on the observation that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, can have a triglyceride-lowering effect. Until now a therapeutic dose could only be achieved by eating large quantities of unrefined fish oil. With Omacor, a concentrated mixture of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in capsule form, patients need to take just four capsules a day.

The promise of Omacor was discussed last November at the XII International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism in Houston, Texas, USA. Presentations at this meeting revealed that Omacor treatment can achieve a significant fall in triglyceride levels while producing a significant increase in protective high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.