Opportunities to improve on Remicade's efficacy?

There is a significant opportunity for a drug that can offer profound improvement in efficacy over Centocor/Schering- Plough/Tanabe's Remicade (infliximab) for the treatment of acute ulcerative colitis, according to a new report from Decision Resources, entitled Lack of Alternatives to Invasive Surgery Signals Opportunity for Drug Makers: An Acute Ulcerative Colitis Study. It says that an agent which improves on Remicade's efficacy must also offer more convenient administration.

"Physicians demand large improvements in efficacy," said Vickie Lai, an analyst at Decision Resources. "A therapy that induces remission in more patients than Remicade must induce remission in at least 40% of patients, an improvement of more than 40% over Remicade's rate of induction. Physicians do not expect a reduction in side effects, however, as long as the agent offers greater efficacy and more convenient administration. Approximately 75% of respondents we surveyed for the report mandate that a new drug be self-administered (either orally or via subcutaneous injections)," she added.

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