The Momentum Continues. . .
With the 1997 launches of Aricept and Lipitor, which are being co-marketed with Eisai and Warner-Lambert, respectively, Pfizer has now launched ten major pharmaceuticals (pictured above) in less than a decade.
Norvasc, launched in 76 countries for the treatment of hypertension and angina, has already passed the billion-dollar mark at the half-year point with a 26% increase over the same period in 1996. Norvasc is now the largest-selling cardiovascular medicine in the United States and number two worldwide.
Sales of Procardia XL, an earlier generation cardiovascular drug, declined to $407 million in the half, reflecting in part increased emphasis on the newer Norvasc. Nonetheless, it remains the second-largest-selling cardiovascular medicine in the U.S.
Zithromax, our broad-spectrum antibiotic, saw sales increase by 43%, to $422 million. It continues to benefit from strong sales across its broad range of indications. In the U.S., it is the most-prescribed, fastest-growing antibiotic on the market.
Sales of Zoloft, our antidepressant, increased by 17% to $717 million. Launches in France and Germany in the first quarter helped drive international sales growth. In July 1997, Pfizer received FDA approval to market Zoloft for the treatment of panic disorder.
Sales of Zyrtec, for the treatment of seasonal and year-round allergies, increased by 100 percent to $122 million.
At mid-year, sales of Diflucan, still the world’s leading prescription antifungal, declined by 1% to $434 million because of pressures in the hospital market and the use of protease inhibitors, which has lowered the incidence of fungal infections in AIDS patients. Sales were also impacted by a negative foreign-exchange effect in Japan, which generates nearly one quarter of Diflucan sales.
Sales of Cardura, for the treatment of hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) increased by 22% to $302 million, partly a result of the launch of the BPH indication in additional countries.
Total worldwide sales of Aricept, launched by Eisai and Pfizer, were $75 million in the first half of 1997. These sales are primarily recorded by Eisai. Aricept has been launched in the U.S. and two other countries and approved in 12 additional countries.
The February U.S. launch of Lipitor was one of the most successful new product launches in pharmaceutical history. By mid-July, Lipitor had attained nearly 22% of new prescriptions of lipid-lowering compounds in the U.S., including the statin class and other agents.
Several of Pfizer’s new chemical entities are progressing in clinical studies, including eletriptan for migraine; droloxifene for breast cancer; Alond for diabetic neuropathy; voriconazole, a new antifungal; and darifenacin for irritable bowel syndrome.
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In order to sustain Pfizer’s new product momentum, construction of one million square feet of additional laboratory space for drug discovery is planned during the next few years
Pictured from left are leading products from Medical Technology, Animal Health, and Consumer Health Care: stents are used to keep blood vessels and other hollow passageways open; Dectomax is Pfizer’s antiparasitic for cattle and swine; and Cortizone is the leading topical over-the-counter anti-itch medicine in the U.S.
