Recently, AstraZeneca plc (AZN) announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its blood clot preventer Brilinta (ticagrelor). Brilinta is an oral reversible P2Y12 adenosine diphosphate receptor antagonist for arterial thrombosis aimed to compete with the blockbuster drug Plavix which is co-developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) and Sanofi-Aventis (SNY). On Oct 26, 2009, AstraZeneca filed for approval of the drug with the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and is awaiting validation of the application.

AstraZeneca is seeking an FDA approval of Brilinta primarily on the basis of data from PLATO (a study of Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes), a late-stage 18,624 patient trial, that showed that Brilinta was more effective than Plavix in treating patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in 43 countries. Brilinta treatment resulted in a reduction of cardiovascular events (CV death, MI or myocardial infarction, stroke) over clopidogrel (Plavix), without an increase in major bleeding. Brilinta is the first investigational antiplatelet that has demonstrated a reduction in CV death versus Plavix in ACS patients.

As a reminder, PLATO evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Brilinta versus Plavix. The trial design prospectively identified 66 subgroups including 33 efficacy and 33 safety subgroups. The findings from 62 of the 66 subgroups were consistent with the results in the overall study population.

ACS represents conditions that result from a reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction. According to data from the American Heart Association, approximately 1.4 million people in the United States are affected by ACS annually.

We believe that if Brilinta gets FDA approval and enters the approximately $9 billion anticlotting medicine market, it would provide increased competition to Plavix, which is one of the largest selling drugs globally with sales of $5.6 billion in 2008. Plavix already has to contend with a new player in the market, Eli Lilly’s (LLY) Effient. Moreover, Plavix will lose patent protection in 2011 resulting in huge loss of revenues for Bristol. If AstraZeneca can get Brilinta on the market before Plavix goes generic, it may help Brilinta maintain its market share and reduce the number of patients switching to generic clopidogrel.

Currently, we are Neutral on AstraZeneca.

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