Botox Still Big Profit Driver
Allergan just reported its third-quarter earnings, and although Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) sales increased a scant 3%, the company said that the injectable contributed to a net profit rise of 8.3%. The company predicted that its total Botox sales for the year would be almost $1.3 billion. Also in the third quarter, Allergan filed for Food and Drug Administration approval to promote the use of Botox for migraine headaches and submitted additional data to the agency on the drug's use for upper limb spasticity. Allergan also stated that it expects sales of the eyelash lengthener Latisse (bimatoprost) to hit $70 million for the year.
J&J Pulling Evolence
Johnson & Johnson's Ortho Dermatologics division is ceasing manufacture and sales of the collagen-based wrinkle filler Evolence. The discontinuation of the product is part of J&J's “effort to refine strategic priorities and focus investment on other growth opportunities,” said the company in a statement accompanying its third-quarter financial report. Evolence was approved by the FDA in June 2008 for correction of moderate to deep facial wrinkles and folds. The product had been on the market for several years before that in Canada, Europe, Israel, South Korea, and Russia. Evolence faced stiff competition from hyaluronic acid–based fillers. Ortho said in its statement that physicians and patients should be assured that Evolence “remains effective for correction of moderate to deep wrinkles and folds with a favorable safety profile.”
Plan to Boost Melanoma Research
The Melanoma Research Foundation has assembled a group of academic medical centers and pharmaceutical companies to speed development of melanoma therapies. “We are fed up with melanoma patients having so few treatment options to battle their disease,” Randy Lomax, the foundation's chairman, said in a statement. Most melanoma research has focused on single-agent therapies, according to the foundation. The consortium intends to break down barriers between researchers so they can study combinations of new drugs. A consortium goal is to see such clinical trials begin as soon as 2010.
Call for Better Lupus Treatments
Federal agencies need to work closely with researchers, industry, and patient advocates to overcome barriers that have stymied new lupus treatments for decades, according to a new report commissioned by the Lupus Foundation of America. After a 9-month study, the Lewin Group advised researchers to work with the National Institutes of Health to create an agenda for drug development in lupus. Scientists also need to improve clinical trials' selection of participants, end points, and use of background medications and placebos, the report said.
Arthritis Challenges Widespread
In a recent worldwide survey, more than half of people with rheumatic diseases said that having a supportive boss and coworkers is the key to performing well in the workplace, with flexible working hours also ranking high. The online survey was commissioned by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). The survey included responses from 2,500 people with rheumatic disease, as well as health care providers and employers, in 79 countries. Nearly 70% of employers said that understanding the needs of patients with rheumatic diseases is a challenge, and only about a third of patients said that changes had been made to accommodate them at their workplaces.
Boomer Health Spending Rises
Total health care expenses for Americans aged 45–64 doubled between 1996 and 2006, from an inflation-adjusted $187 billion to $370 billion, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The AHRQ found that while the proportion of middle-aged people who incurred medical expenses remained constant at 89%, average health care expenses for those who had them increased from an inflation-adjusted $3,849 to $5,455. Prescriptions constituted a much higher portion of total expenses in 2006 than in 1996, AHRQ said, while the share spent for hospital inpatient care decreased. The average expense per service rendered also increased significantly.