TreatmentTrends®: European Gout Study Highlights Current Treatment Patterns and Unmet Need For New Gout Therapies Among Rheumatologists

EXTON, Pa., Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- BioTrends Research Group, Inc. finds that although Allopurinol remains the gold standard uric acid lowering (UAL) therapy for gout in the European Union (EU), Teijin Pharma/Ipsen/Menarini's Adenuric (currently available in France, Germany and the United Kingdom) has already achieved significant market penetration. The uptake of Adenuric is particularly robust in France, where its patient share is approximately one-half that of Allopurinol in moderate gout patients and is almost equal to that of Allopurinol in severe patients. Rheumatologists in France initiate Adenuric earlier in the treatment algorithm and use Adenuric at different doses compared to rheumatologists in Germany and the U.K.  

According to the TreatmentTrends®: European Gout Study, Adenuric has been heavily promoted in France where two-thirds of surveyed rheumatologists report having contact with a sales representative within the past month. Comparatively, rheumatologists in Germany and the U.K. are detailed with less frequency. Despite only having launched in the first quarter of this year, Adenuric has already achieved a significant competitive advantage over Allopurinol on most key product attributes which drive physician prescribing of gout therapies.

Savient's Krystexxa (pegloticase) was recently approved in the U.S. market for the treatment of chronic gout in patients refractory to conventional therapy. An EU filing is expected before the end of this year. Krystexxa has the lowest projections for use in France, where Adenuric is used most extensively, and the highest projections for use in Italy, where Adenuric is not yet approved.    

TreatmentTrends®: European Gout Study is an annual syndicated report which provides a comprehensive market overview of current and future treatment trends in gout based on primary research with 252 rheumatologists in the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Italy. The report focuses on chronic and acute gout therapies, perceived strengths and weaknesses of current agents, barriers to broader usage, market sizing of the treatment-refractory patient population, promotional activity for Adenuric and the anticipated impact of Savient Pharmaceuticals' Krystexxa. A similar report highlighting the U.S. market dynamics was released last month.

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SOURCE BioTrends Research Group, Inc.