COLLEGEVILLE, Pa., Dec. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth , announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a second approvable letter for bazedoxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
In its letter, the FDA identified several remaining questions regarding issues that had been previously identified during the review process and that were not fully resolved by the Company’s complete response to the first approvable letter. The FDA has requested further analyses and discussion concerning the incidence of stroke and venous thrombotic events. The Agency also identified certain issues concerning data collection and reporting and requested additional source documents.
The FDA stated that the Wyeth Asian studies that were submitted on November 9 and December 14, 2007, were not reviewed for this action. Wyeth believes the data from these nearly 1,000 women provide additional support for a favorable benefit to risk ratio for bazedoxifene in the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
The Agency did not request the initiation of any new studies and has suggested an end-of-review conference between Wyeth and the FDA to address the remaining issues.
“We look forward to working with the FDA to resolve these issues. Wyeth is dedicated to identifying therapies for the millions of postmenopausal women who are at risk for increased bone loss,” says Gary L. Stiles, M.D., Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
The Company received the first approvable letter on April 23, 2007, and submitted data requested in June 2007. In July 2007, Wyeth submitted a separate New Drug Application to the FDA for bazedoxifene for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, which was accepted for filing in September 2007, with an action date in May 2008.
About Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Up to 20 percent of a woman’s expected lifetime bone loss can occur in the years immediately following menopause. The prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis could lead to significant improvement in the overall health for millions of women worldwide as well as reduce costs associated with the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis-related fractures.
About Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leading products in the areas of women’s health care, infectious disease, gastrointestinal health, central nervous system, inflammation, transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products.
Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on current expectations of future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include the inherent uncertainty of the timing and success of, and expense associated with, research, development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our products and pipeline products (including that there can be no assurance that our pending NDAs for bazedoxifene will be approved or that the product will ever be successfully commercialized); government cost-containment initiatives; restrictions on third-party payments for our products; substantial competition in our industry, including from branded and generic products; data generated on our products; the importance of strong performance from our principal products and our anticipated new product introductions; the highly regulated nature of our business; product liability, intellectual property and other litigation risks and environmental liabilities; uncertainty regarding our intellectual property rights and those of others; difficulties associated with, and regulatory compliance with respect to, manufacturing of our products; risks associated with our strategic relationships; economic conditions including interest and currency exchange rate fluctuations; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; trade buying patterns; the impact of legislation and regulatory compliance; risks and uncertainties associated with global operations and sales; and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item 1A, Risk Factors.” The forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these risk factors. We assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
CONTACT: Media, Danielle Halstrom, Office, +1-484-865-2020, Mobile,
+1-215-280-3898, or Natalie de Vane, Office, +1-484-865-5139, Mobile,
+1-610-999-8756, both of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; or Investors, Justin
Victoria, Wyeth, +1-973-660-5340
Web site: http://www.wyeth.com//
