Pfizer streamlines research following Wyeth purchase
Pfizer is to reduce the number of drugs it has in development by 100 following its acquisition of Wyeth last October.
Pfizer is to reduce the number of drugs it has in development by 100 following its acquisition of Wyeth last October.
The drugmaker said it would continue with a new "prioritised portfolio" of about 500 research projects across a range of diseases, as well as vaccines and biologics. Around 70% of Pfizer's research projects and 75% of the late-stage products are focused in these areas.
The company has identified six "Invest to win" priority areas of research: oncology, pain, inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, psychoses and diabetes.
Of the 500 drugs, 133 are in various stages of human testing from Phase 1 through to registration. They include 30 drugs in development for cancer, 10 for Alzheimer's disease, eight for pain and 11 for inflammation. Altogether, 34 are either new molecular entities or for new applications in Phase III clinical testing.
Pfizer also has six vaccines and 27 biologic drugs in development, up from one vaccine and six biologics in March 2009. The company's aim is to become a leading biotherapeutics company by 2015.
"This pipeline of investigational medicines represents the strong future of Pfizer," said Martin Mackay, president, PharmaTherapeutics Research and Development. "Since the closing of the Wyeth transaction late last year, we have made strategic decisions about our r&d resources, global footprint and high-priority projects. Our focus now turns to delivery of these health solutions for patients around the world."
Pfizer has withdrawn its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Lyrica for the adjunctive treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
The New York-based company said last November that it would reduce its global r&d facilities by 35%. Consequently, r&d activities will now be conducted at five main sites and nine specialised units around the world, compared with 20 r&d sites when it closed the acquisition of Wyeth.