What do you do with a booming antidepressant? Broaden its scope, of course. Eli Lilly has filed for FDA approval to sell Cymbalta as a fibromyalgia remedy. It's already marketed for use against general anxiety and nerve pain, in addition to depression.
Lilly announced its supplemental drug app with news of a study that found that fibromyalgia patients taking Cymbalta felt less pain than those taking placebo. The study subjects included patients with depression and those without. Already, Cymbalta has been a hot performer for Lilly this year. First-quarter sales of the drug were up almost 90 percent over the same period last year, to $41.8 million, and second quarter sales reached $519.5 million, at least in part because of an aggressive direct-to-consumer campaign begun last summer. If approved for fibromyalgia, Cymbalta would find a broad new market: an estimated 3 to 6 million Americans have the disease, according to the American College of Rheumatology.
- check out the release [1]
- read the RTT News report [2]
Related Articles:
Pfizer touts blockbuster drug for fibromyalgia. Report [3]
Forest Labs reports Phase III failure for fibromyalgia drug. Report [4]
FDA hands out two key regulatory approvals. Report [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/press-release-eli-lilly-and-companys-new-data-suggest-cymbalta-reduced-pain-fibromyal
[2] http://www.rttnews.com/sp/Quickfactsnew.asp?item=48
[3] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/pfizer-touts-blockbuster-drug-for-fibromyalgia/2007-05-03
[4] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/forest-labs-reports-phase-iii-failure-for-fibromyalgia-drug/2005-09-29
[5] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/fda-hands-out-two-key-regulatory-approvals/2007-02-26