| 2 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
ABBOTT PARK, Ill. and LONDON—Abbott and AstraZeneca have announced that they will discontinue the joint development of the experimental dyslipidemia drug Certriad as they no longer consider the effort to be "commercially attractive." The rosuvastatin/fenofibric acid delayed-release pill—essentially a combination of AstraZeneca's Crestor and Abbott's TriLipix—was under development for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia.

Both companies have noted that there is no expected impact to their ongoing earnings per share in 2010 or 2011 resulting from this action.

The announcement follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's rejection of the drug in March, when it asked for more information about the therapy from the companies—a development that threatened to delay any possible approval for the U.S. market. In an official statement, both drugmakers said they made their decision to ditch Certriad after considering the FDA's verdict, "the resulting regulatory delay and the commercial attractiveness of the product in the U.S. market."

The drug had been viewed as an important product to extend both firms' cholesterol-lowering franchises, and consensus forecasts had pointed to sales of $564 million by 2013, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Neither company disclosed the FDA's reason for rejecting the therapy; however, earlier this year the FDA did note that it was reviewing whether results of the ACCORD trial would have any bearing on the approved uses for TriLipix. The study in question involved Abbott's TriCor, which is similar to TriLipix, and which had data showing that adding the therapy to a statin didn't reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes among people with diabetes. Some analysts speculated that the trial would not only delay approval of Certriad, but would also limit the commercial potential of Certriad.

Other criticisms already existed for the drug, though in a more general sense, as consumer groups, health plans and employers sometimes criticize combination pills like this as merely a way to for Big Pharma to extend patents and continue charging high prices. Critics say the pills typically contain ingredients which are already in the market as cheaper generic copies or in the form of similar but less expensive rivals. In fact, the Certiad product included a combination of a statin and a fenofibrate—and there are indeed generic statins and fenofibrates already on the market.

About the Author

Related Topics

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

A black mosquito is shown on pink human skin against a blurred green backdrop.

Discovering deeper insights into malaria research

Malaria continues to drive urgent research worldwide, with new therapies and tools emerging to combat the parasite’s complex lifecycle and global burden.
Three burgundy round and linear conformations of oligonucleotides are shown against a black background.

Accelerating RNA therapeutic testing with liver microphysiological platforms

Researchers can now study oligonucleotide delivery and efficacy in a system that models a real human liver.
A 3D-rendered illustration of a eukaryotic cell highlighting organelles such as the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and cytoskeletal structures in pink and purple tones.

Shining light on the subcellular proteome

Discover how innovative proteomics tools help researchers peer into once inaccessible organelles, allowing for new targets for drug discovery and development.
Drug Discovery News March 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 1 • March 2025

March 2025

March 2025 Issue

Explore this issue