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Viagra Looms as Rival for Actelion, Data Due Oct
Fri Sep 3, 2004 11:31 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc will
give results of a clinical trial next month that could confirm its
best-selling anti-impotence drug Viagra
as a competitor to Actelion's Tracleer in treating a deadly form
of hypertension.
A Pfizer spokeswoman confirmed on Friday that results of a study looking at Viagra's use in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension would be presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Seattle on October 27.
Investors in Swiss biotech firm Actelion have been anxiously awaiting the data, which is widely expected to confirm that Viagra is an effective medicine in controlling the crippling heart and lung disease.
Lehman Brothers analyst Sam Williams said the study would probably show Viagra, or sildenafil, works about as well as Tracleer. As a result, he predicted Viagra would largely be used in combination therapy.
The idea of using Viagra to treat the pulmonary arterial hypertension is less surprising than it might look, since the drug was originally invented to treat angina by opening up blood vessels.
Sales of Tracleer, Actelion's leading product, totaled 108 million Swiss francs ($85.65 million) in the second quarter.
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
source :-http://www.reuters.com | 
