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
In my opinion making effective drugs for pain such as hydrocodone, lortab and vicodin is the best available for the relief of pain but the dosage must be controlled and the time taken should be short.
ReplyDeletePhizer, and other large pharmas, have gotten into this predicament by merging and failing to combine disparate corporate cultures. Very few scientists are in upper management at these firms any longer.
ReplyDeleteThe "business-driven solution" has been to lay off those who create new drugs, and implement initiatives that make nice slogans and PowerPoints, but only serve to add to bureaucracy and administrivia, having little or nothing to do with the business at hand: developing new drugs. With few medicinal chemists left standing, and those who remain unsure of the future of their livelihoods, is there any doubt there is little in the pipeline?
The mega-pharmas are now standing at the edges of their patent cliffs, having laid off much of their drug development staff and/or outsourced that work to Chindia (where it is acknowledged that a number of years of ramp up time is needed before any results will be seen). So, what then? Mergers.
And the circle of life continues.