RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Pfizer is the latest brand-name pharmaceutical company to land in the unenviable position of finding a new way to defend its patent-protected drug -- in this case, epilepsy treatment Neurontin -- against generic competition. Generic manufacturer Alpharma yesterday launched its generic version of Neurontin despite an undecided patent infringement lawsuit filed by Pfizer. Teva Pharmaceutical also recently won FDA approval to market its own generic Neurontin.
These generic market entrants threaten to erode 80% or more of sales of Pfizer’s $3 billion blockbuster. According to recent report, “Combating Generics: Pharmaceutical Brand Defense,” available at http://www.pharmagenerics.com/ and published by pharmaceutical business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information, Pfizer’s strategy for retaining market share in the face of generic competition is a new twist on an old strategy.
In addition to defending its Neurontin patent in court, the industry’s top company announced plans to launch its own Neurontin generic. This approach could give Pfizer a competitive advantage over its generic competitors -- which have to shoulder the cost of manufacturing the drug -- and allow Pfizer to retain more market share and bring a less expensive drug to market. Pfizer already has established a supply chain for the drug -- a costly process that its would-be competitors still must bear.
“Pfizer is taking a new approach to the more common strategy referred to as ‘authorized’ or ‘flanking’ generics,” said Jon Hess, senior analyst at Cutting Edge Information. “Previously, most brand-name drug companies would partner with a generic manufacturer to beat other generic companies to market, and they would receive royalties on all the generic sales. Pfizer is doing it alone with Neurontin, and that could pay off better for the company in the long run.”
Cutting Edge Information’s report, “Combating Generics: Pharmaceutical Brand Defense” ( http://www.pharmagenerics.com/ ) examines ‘flanking generics’ and other lifecycle management strategies. Making its case with more than 250 metrics and dozens of detailed case studies, the report analyzes the options available to brand teams and therapeutic area leaders for defending drug patents and maximizing asset returns in the face of generic competition.
To download a free summary of this 190-page report, visit http://www.pharmagenerics.com/ . For more information or to learn about other Cutting Edge Information research, please call 919-403-6583 or e-mail info@cuttingedgeinfo.com .
Cutting Edge Information
Contact: Media, Tricia McGovern, +1-919-433-0217, ortricia_mcgovern@cuttingedgeinfo.com , or Jon Hess, +1-919-433-0211, orjon_hess@cuttingedgeinfo.com , both of Cutting Edge Information