Pharmacia gets US approval for acromegaly treatment Somavert

Pharmacia's new drug for the treatment of acromegaly, Somavert(pegvisomant), has been approved in the USA a few months after its registration in Europe (Marketletter November 25, 2002). Acromegaly is a life-threatening disorder caused by overproduction of growth hormone that is often the result of a pituitary tumor.

Specifically, Somavert is indicated for the treatment of acromegaly in patients who have had an inadequate response to surgery, radiation therapy and/or other medical therapies, or for whom these therapies are not appropriate. The goal of treatment is to normalize serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels; too much growth hormone leads to overproduction of IGF-1, and it is the latter hormone that is responsible for the disabling symptoms associated with acromegaly.

Somavert is the first and only growth hormone receptor antagonist to be approved for marketing, and is due to be launched next month. Pharmacia has not yet divulged how much it will charge for the drug.