With the formal publication in The Lancet last week of the results of the ISIS-3 thrombolytic product trial, the major findings, according to California's Genentech Inc, developer and manufacturer of the country's major tissue plasminogen activator product Activase (alteplase), remain unchanged since they were first publicly announced a year ago. The company reports that market research has indicated that shifts in prescribing patterns in reaction to the findings of the trial have already occurred, and the market share of Activase is now stable at just over 50%.
Genentech comments that approximately 53% of patients in the USA who are treated with thrombolytics now receive alteplase, 36% are prescribed streptokinase, and 11% receive SmithKline Beecham's Eminase (anistreplase).
Kirk Raab, Genentech's president and chief executive, reported that it is apparent from prescribing patterns that Activase will be reaffirmed as having important clinical advantages over other treatments. He added: "That is why we are helping to support such a large independent study as GUSTO (Global Utilization of Streptokinase and tPA in Occluded Coronary Arteries), and that is why we continue to believe that the ISIS-3 findings are irrelevant to our product and to standard prescribing patterns for thrombolytic therapy in the US."
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
7 day trial access
Become a subscriber
Or £77 per month
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2024 | Headless Content Management with Blaze