U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer (PFE, Financial) is well known for its product pipeline that aims in treating critical diseases across geographies. Recently, another drug in the pharma giant’s pipeline has just received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. and such a positive announcement did send the shares of the company spiralling upwards by nearly 1.2% soon after the news was released. Let’s dive in further to decipher how Pfizer’s new drug could aid in treating cancer which is one of the deadly diseases affecting several people round the globe. And also let’s find out if there are any exclusive partnerships Pfizer is entering with pharmacy dealers in U.S. to serve the needy patients.
The much anticipated drug wins the green signal
Pfizer’s fortunes seems to be great at least with respect to its new breast cancer drug which received an accelerated approval from the FDA, almost two months ahead of the usual schedule for approval.
In fact, it is an episode which surely added to the investors’ delight as the FDA action date for the drug candidate was set to April 13, 2015. The FDA referred to the quicker approval as a step to release a “breakthrough therapy” sooner into the market than expected. The medication, known as Ibrance, offers immense opportunity to tap the unexplored market for the pharmaceutical firm which is struggling with expired patents on Lipitor and is expecting some more patents to expire early this year.
Since this drug is expected to treat advanced stages of breast cancer which is the most common type of cancer noticed in postmenopausal women in the West, it could turn into a flagship drug for the pharmaceutical company. Wall Street analysts have opined that this blockbuster drug could become the money earner for the company and might bring in revenue to the tune of around $4 billion by 2020.
Creating a difference in the cancer treatment
Pfizer CEO Ian Read applauded the approval of Ibrance stating that it marks the “first new medicine” approved in the past decade for treatment of hormone-sensitive type of breast cancer. To date, the only drug for treatment of such type of breast cancer was Novartis’ (NVS, Financial) Femara which received approval from the FDA in 1997. Femara was the only hormone therapy used for treating this sort of breast cancer until now. But with Pfizer’s drug release to the market, from now on Ibrance would possibly be prescribed in combination with Femara for such treatment.
During the clinical trial process for the drug, it has been noticed that Ibrance could double the survival time of patients afflicted with breast cancer without showing further signs of worsening. According to Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, this drug marks a significant improvement in treatment of such type of advanced breast cancer which is not considered as a curable disease in the U.S.
As the numbers of cancer patients are growing phenomenally in the U.S., it is being presumed that Ibrance will bring relief to the majority of women suffering from breast cancer and will serve such an afflicted community in all ways possible.
Going forward
Soon after the approval of Ibrance by the FDA, Pfizer has signed a contract with one of the nation’s largest independent providers of Oncology Pharmacy services, Onco360, as a limited distribution pharmacy participant for this breast cancer drug. The addition of this medication would aid in Onco360’s venture of growing its portfolio of limited distribution products. And it's good news for the breast cancer-afflicted patients who can order immediately through Onco360. So great days are possibly ahead for both the pharma giant as well as for the people suffering from advanced breast cancer.
