FISONS UPDATES ON LEAD R&D PRODUCTS

At an overview meeting intended to draw attention to two of the company's late-stage compounds, Fisons' new executive chairman, Patrick Egan, began by stressing that, contrary to certain reports in the press, the resignation of John Kerridge has not left Fisons with a vacuum in top management. "Fisons is not leaderless," he asserted. "I am it."

Addressing other press reports of problems with the company, particularly those concerning the company's relationship with the US Food and Drug Administration, Mr Egan noted that the company was making great efforts to comply with the agency's demands on production and packaging standards, and expects that the US facilities will be reinspected shortly.

Peter Fothergill, chairman of Fisons Pharmaceuticals, said that R&D in the 1990s would rest largely on the fortunes of newer products, such as its heart failure treatment Dopacard (dopexamine) and its non-steroidal anti-asthmatic Tilade (nedocromil sodium), although he admitted that the latter product's performance to-date has been somewhat disappointing, especially in the UK market. However, the promising take-up of Tilade in Spain and Canada, where it has been recently launched, and improving sales performance in Germany, France and Italy have reassured the company. New ophthalmic and nasal formulations should contribute further to this growth, he opined.