Once Monthly Dosing: How Much of a Competitive Advantage is it? Rheumatologists Provide Insight in the Baseline Report of LaunchTrends(TM): S...( EXTON Pa. June 4 /- BioTrends Researc...),Health

EXTON, Pa., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- BioTrends Research Group, Inc. announces the release of the baseline LaunchTrends(TM): SIMPONI report. The survey was completed by U.S. Rheumatologists in May 2009, just days after the FDA announced approval for SIMPONI (golimumab).

Once monthly dosing seems to be playing well, according to the Rheumatologists in the study who anticipate relatively quick uptake of SIMPONI. 84% of the Rheumatologists surveyed report that they intend to use SIMPONI within the next six months, and a fair proportion intend to incorporate SIMPONI into their armamentarium right away. The majority of RA patients likely to be placed on SIMPONI are expected to be switched from current biologic agents, primarily impacting use of Enbrel, Humira and Remicade. The main advantages that clinicians perceive for SIMPONI compared to currently available agents are the monthly dosing regimen and self injection. On the downside, SIMPONI is a new addition to an already crowded market of TNF agents with a similar mechanism of action and a lack of any clear clinical differentiation. Concern was also expressed about the lack of radiographic data at the time of launch to support the drug's ability to slow the progression of disease.

Adding to the competitive environment, the FDA approved UCB's CIMZIA(R) (certolizumab) for Rheumatoid Arthritis on May 14th, bringing yet another once monthly TNF agent into the mix. In addition to the recent launches of SIMPONI and CIMZIA there is significant interest among Rheumatologists in Roche's ACTEMRA(R) (tocilizumab), an IL-6 blocker currently under review with the FDA. When presented with all three products, interest was highest for ACTEMRA.

LaunchTrends(TM) measures launch effectiveness of new products from FDA approval through six months post launch. The next wave of this report, measuring uptake at one month post launch, will be
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