Emerging Combination Agent from Merck Will Garner Peak Year Sales of More Than $250 Million for the Treatment of Asthma

WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, following its expected launch this year for the treatment of asthma, Merck's formoterol/mometasone will garner peak year sales of more than $250 million in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The Pharmacor 2010 finding from the topic entitled Asthma reveals that formoterol/mometasone, a twice-daily long acting beta2 agonist (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) combination, will launch in 2010 in the U.S. and in Europe as a maintenance treatment for asthma in patients 12 years of age or older. Although formoterol/fluticasone, another emerging twice-daily LABA/ICS combination, was expected to launch in 2010 in the U.S., SkyePharma recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested further clinical trial data for the combination, most notably with regard to its dosing. As a result, the previously expected 2010 U.S. launch date of formoterol/fluticasone will be delayed until 2012.

"Both emerging agents from Merck and SkyePharma will face strong competition from well-established, currently available LABA/ICS combinations which are widely prescribed for asthma treatment," said Decision Resources Analyst Martin Quinn.

AstraZeneca's Symbicort (formoterol/budesonide) as well as salmeterol/fluticasone (GlaxoSmithKline's Advair/Seretide, GlaxoSmithKline/Mitsubishi Tanabe's Adoair) are the most notable LABA/ICS combinations that formoterol/mometasone and formoterol/fluticasone will compete with, following their launches. Symbicort, which has been available in the U.S. and in Europe for several years, was also recently approved in Japan for the maintenance treatment of bronchial asthma in patients aged 16 and older. Under the terms of an agreement reached last year, AstraZeneca and Astellas will co-promote Symbicort in the Japanese market.

About Pharmacor 2010

The newly redesigned Pharmacor advisory service offers clients in the biopharmaceutical industry the most up-to-date information available on commercially significant disease topics.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Decision Resources

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