RPT Novartis pharma chief sees record number of product launches in 2007

RPT Novartis pharma chief sees record number of product launches in 2007

	Published : Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:26 By : Agencies Print this Story

(Repeating to clarify first paragraph)

ZURICH (AFX) - Novartis AG has a promising product pipeline and expects several key product roll-outs to take place over the course of next year, such as asthma drug Xolair, and Exjade which counters high iron content.

Should all launches go ahead as planned, this would represent the highest number of new launches in a single year for any pharma company, Novarits pharma head Thomas Ebeling said.

In total, the Basel-based drug maker's product pipeline comprises 138 drug candidates in phase I, phase II or phase III as well as regulatory approval stages.

Ebeling also said that Novartis expects anti-inflammatory drug Prexige -- following the recent completion of the EU's mutual recognition procedures -- and Cubicin for the treatment of skin and soft-tissue infections to be launched in 2007 and 2008, he said.

Moreover, Novartis expects first-time approvals, additional indication or regional approvals for blood pressure drug Exforge, cancer treatment Tasigna, and hepatitis B drug Sebivo, postmenopausal osteoporosis drug Aclasta and Alzheimer drug Exelon Patch.

Eye care treatment Lucentis, against wet age-related macular degeneration, is expected to be approved in Europe over the next few weeks, following last November's recommendation by the EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).

Novartis earlier said it remains optimistic it will also receive US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for diabetes treatment Galvus and blood pressure drug Tekturna, after the FDA extended the drugs' review period to assess additional data.

Both treatments are seen as potential blockbusters, with annual sales in excess of 1 bln usd.

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