Seroquel To Debut In First Market, The UK

The first launch of Zeneca's new antipsychotic drug Seroquel(quetiapine) is "imminent," according to Jonathan Hellewell, the firm's clinical specialist in central nervous system disorders. There were strong rumors as the Marketletter went to press that the launch would take place in the UK on the cover date of this issue (September 22). Zeneca has also received an "approvable" letter for the drug in the USA.

Zeneca told the Marketletter that it would be promoting Seroquel in the marketplace on the strength of its good tolerability at all recommended doses (150mg to 750mg), which it believes differentiates the drug from competitors such as Janssen's Risperdal (risperidone) and Eli Lilly's Zyprexa (olanzapine). These have been associated with extrapyramidal side effects at the top end of their dose range, according to Rob Kerwin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, who believes that "Seroquel is possibly the most EPS-free antipsychotic." The drug also exhibits placebo-like effects on sexual function, an underrated side effect which has emerged with risperidone and Abbott's Serdolect (sertindole). Seroquel is associated with minor sedation at first dosing, nasal stuffiness and weight gain, added Prof Kerwin, although there are indications that the latter is not so great with the Zeneca drug as with olanzapine.

Pricing Plans Seroquel will come in 100mg and 200mg tablet formulations, with the majority of patients stabilized on 300-400mg/day, given in twice-daily doses. Its price will be comparable to the other newer antipsychotics, said the company. However, unlike some competitors, the cost of treating patients at the top end of the dose range will not be much more than at lower doses.