TAP files for Viagra competitor in USA

TAP Holdings, a joint venture between Abbott Laboratories and TakedaChemical Industries, has filed for US approval of Uprima (apomorphine sublingual tablets 2mg, 3mg and 4mg) as a therapeutic for erectile dysfunction. Clinical trials of apomorphine, a dopamine receptor agonist which has been used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease for many years, involved patients with organic, psychogenic or mixed-etiology erectile dysfunction. In trials, apomorphine resulted in a significantly higher percentage of erections firm enough for intercourse versus placebo (Marketletter May 10). It is suggested that TAP's compound could pose near-term competition to Pfizer's blockbuster Viagra (sildenafil) which posted sales of $788 million last year.