PARIS/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Franco-German drugmaker Aventis said on Monday a once-daily dose of its Alvesco inhaled corticosteroid drug produced minimal mouth and throat-related side effects in asthma patients.
The drug produced thrush, hoarseness and sore throat, similar to placebo, but was well tolerated in mild to moderate asthma patients, Aventis said.
Inhaled corticosteroids work by reducing inflammation in the lungs and airways.
German drugmaker Altana AG, which developed the drug, said data presented for an intranasal formulation of Alvesco (ciclesonide) at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology showed a dose response in patients with allergic rhinitis.
Alvesco is important to both Altana and Aventis. For Altana, Alvesco could reduce its dependence on anti-ulcer drug pantoprazole, and for Aventis, it could be a strong addition to its portfolio at a time the company wants to show Sanofi’s bid for it is inadequate.
Altana has received marketing approval in Australia for Alvesco, and expects approval in the UK by mid-2004. The drug is to be jointly marketed with Aventis in the United States, where applications for approval were filed late last year.
An intranasal formulation of ciclesonide is in phase II/III of clinical development for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.
Altana said the product would be primarily developed in the United States where the allergic rhinitis market was valued at $6 billion.
Alvesco is one of two drugs in the Altana stable that analysts say has blockbuster potential, or the potential to fetch sales of over one billion euros a year.
MeSH Headings:Anti-Asthmatic Agents: adverse effects: therapeutic useCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
