Pfizer Looking At Pain Relief with Purchase of King Pharma With Lipitor Patent Facing Expiration Next Year–Could FDA Approved Antidote for Those Who Become Addicted Be Next?

This is big purchase and they are perhaps looking to anticipated reduced revenue once generic drugs for Lipitor come on line.  We are seeing mergers and acquisitions all over healthcare. 

Below are some of the leading pain killers from King Pharma and the company also has quite a few other drugs outside of pain relief too. 

Embeda™ CII (morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride) Extended Release Capsules

Avinza® CII (morphine sulfate extended release)

Flector® Patch (diclofenac epolamine topical patch) 1.3%

Skelaxin® (metaxalone)

Thrombin-JMI® (thrombin, topical, bovine origin, USP)

Levoxyl® (levothyroxine sodium tablets, USP)

Ironically and perhaps this is just timing but the FDA approved a drug to help those addicted to pain killers, called Vivitrol so is this perhaps in the line for contention here if for no other reason to offer a solution for those who develop an addiction?  Below is an except from the link above in USA Today.

“Vivitrol is injected monthly, not taken daily by mouth, so it's easier to stick to. Though patients can obtain bupenorphrine at a pharmacy, they must go to clinics daily to get methadone. And, unlike methadone and bupenorphrine, Vivitrol isn't an opioid but a long-acting form of naltrexone, which blocks opioids. "There are treatment programs that really oppose using methadone or bupenorphine," says Nora Volkow, director of the drug abuse institute. "I predict that naltrexone may be acceptable."

This is just some pure speculation here on my part as a consumer looking around and making a bit of sense on how the face of healthcare is changing and evolving today.  BD

Pfizer ( PFE - news - people ), in moving into pain medication, Forbes' Matthew Herper reports (See Pfizer's Future Fighting Pain"), is seeking to facilitate a revenue cushion for its patents that are set to expire next year, one of which includes Lipitor, a drug that brought in $11.4 billion in global revenue in 2009. Simon King, an analyst at Datamonitor, says the loss of Lipitor exclusivity will create a strain big enough for the acquisition to have only a minimal impact on the company's earnings.

Pfizer expects the transaction to contribute at least $200 million in operating expenses, which will be fully realized by the end of 2013. Pfizer's 2010 financial guidance remains the same.

Pfizer, Set to Lose Lipitor, Feels No Pain With King Buy - Forbes.com

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