Pfizer terminates Ph III programs in fibromyalgia and GAD

World drug giant Pfizer has terminated Phase III development programs for the investigational drugs esreboxetine for fibromyalgia and PD  332,334 for generalized anxiety disorder. After reviewing the results of  the first late-stage trial for PD 332,334 and the existing data for  esreboxetine, along with current market dynamics, it decided it was  considered unlikely that either compound would provide meaningful  benefit to patients beyond the current standard-of-care. Neither product  was terminated due to safety reasons, Pfizer stressed. Pedro  Lichtinger, president and general manager of Pfizer's primary care  business unit, said: "we continually review our portfolio to ensure we  are developing medicines in areas of unmet need and have found  significant potential opportunities to bring more value to patients and  our company." New York-based Pfizer is struggling to bolster its  pipeline ahead of the November 2011 expiration of the patent on its best  selling product, the $13.0-billion-a-year cholesterol drug Lipitor  (atorvastatin).