Upbeat Alza Unveils Revamped Pipeline

Drug delivery specialist Alza Corp gave a well-received presentation to analysts earlier this month, which highlighted the firm's strong pipeline and pointed to good growth in the future. David Saks of Gruntal & Co has rated the company as potentially offering the best percentage growth in 1996 of all companies in the pharmaceutical sector.

Heading the agenda was the receipt of an approvable letter in the USA for Efidac 24 (pseudoephedrine/brompheniramine), the first over-the-counter 24-hour combined nasal decongestant and antihistamine, which is based upon Alza's OROS delivery technology. This is the third product in the Efidac 24 range and, once full approval is granted, it will be marketed by Ciba Self-Medication.

Alza also announced a number of products under development with its subsidiary, Therapeutic Discovery Corp, in the areas of pain management, supportive therapies for cancer and AIDS patients, urology and endocrinology.