Hoechst Aims For Two NCEs Each Year

Hoechst has revealed its drug development program in its first-ever R&D day, held in New York, USA, on September 13.

Having reassessed its strategies, Hoechst and its subsidiary Hoechst Marion Roussel, now aim to focus on a smaller number of primary targets including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, respiratory disorders and oncology. Products developed in these areas will have to overcome certain milestones. If a milestone is not reached then the project will be terminated. This rapid turnover is an effort by the company to reduce operating costs by 1.1 billion Deutschemarks ($733 million) and to achieve the introduction of two New Chemical Entities every year.

Allegra (fexofenadine) for the treatment of seasonal rhinitis, and the Type II diabetes drug Amaryl (glimepiride) have already been launched (Marketletters passim). However, the former will see stiff competition from Claritin (loratadine) which is a once-daily as opposed to the twice-daily formulation of Allegra. It was revealed by Rotraut Labs, executive vice president for global development at Hoechst Marion Roussel, that a once-a-day formulation of Allegra is now in Phase III trials, and that nasal drops and a pediatric version are being developed. Whether these arrive too late to the market to capture a sufficient share remains to be seen.