Pfizer gets new patent life for Alzheimer's drug

(to develop valuable therapies for the treatment of the disease)

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With the patent on their Alzheimer's drug Aricept expiring this fall, partners Pfizer Inc. and Eisai Inc. have announced regulatory approval for a higher dose of the medicine that will allow a three-year patent extension for the new formulation. Pfizer's stock price reacted enthusiastically, closing at $15.02 a share, up 44 cents or more than 3 percent. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval came late Friday for the 23 milligram version of Aricept, which clinical studies showed helped Alzheimer's disease patients improve their ability to process information. The new dosage is geared toward patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's.
New York-based Pfizer said the new Aricept tablets, to be taken once a day, should be available in pharmacies by August, two months before the patent on the 5 mg and 10 mg dosages of the Alzheimer's treatment loses protection in the United States. A generic version of Aricept was approved by the FDA last year. Pfizer did not respond directly to the question of whether the new formulation would be more expensive than the older version of Aricept.
"Because insurance plans and pharmacy prices differ, the cost to the patient may vary depending on coverage or pharmacy," company spokesman MacKay Jimeson said in an e-mail response to questions. "Patients and caregivers should consult their health care plan."
About 3.6 million Americans over 65 have moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's, Pfizer said in a news release that quoted the Alzheimer's Association. The number with more advanced Alzheimer's is expected to triple in the next four decades, the company said. By 2050, Pfizer said, about 13.5 million Americans are expected to have Alzheimer's, a disease whose probability of striking doubles every five years for those over 65 years old. More: theday.com

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