AstraZeneca: Crestor sales will increase despite generic rivals

AstraZeneca has said it believes that sales for its statin, Crestor, will continue to increase following the introduction of generic rivals.

With recent challenges to Pfizer’s Lipitor patents in the UK and elsewhere, as well as similar threats Merck Sharp & Dohme’s Zocor patents, AstraZeneca said that the statin-producing industry is “in the midst of a market disruption”.

Crestor, the UK company’s second-best selling cardiovascular drug after Seloken/Toprol-XL, is currently the subject of a new collaboration with Abbott, who will work with AstraZeneca to develop a combination therapy involving both Crestor and TriCor to provide a multiple-action cholesterol-reducing blood pressure drug.

In addition, Abbott is also researching the possibility of combining Crestor with its next-generation version of TriCor.

Furthering the usage of Crestor could reduce the impact of generic versions of the drug.

Mike Tilton, vice-president of cardiovasculars at AstraZeneca, is quoted by Dow Jones Newswires as saying in a recent interview: “What we expect is for the growth trajectory we’ve been on for the first half of the year to continue for the second half.”

Last year, AstraZeneca reported increased Crestor sales, despite “unfounded” safety fears that had an affect on product revenues.

In June, the company revealed that a combination therapy of Crestor with ezetimibe produced an “unprecedented” reduction in harmful LDL-cholesterol levels in new studies, measuring 70 per cent in clinical studies.

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