Abarelix

Amgen (One Amgen Center Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320; Tel: 805/447-1000, Fax: 805/447-1010, Website: www.amgen.com) and Praecis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, Contact: Susan Schumacher, 617/587-2921) will collaborate on the commercialization of abarelix, a GnRH antagonist currently in phase III trials to treat prostate cancer. The agreement covers the U.S., Canada, Australia, Asia, and several secondary markets. Aberelix has been developed by Praecis, a privately owned company specializing in peptide-based therapeutics. The agreement is expected to cost Amgen $100 million in expense in 1999 versus product sales expected to be in the $10 to $20 million range. Aberelix inhibits the action of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH, also called LHRH) on the pituitary, reducing the supply of gonadotropin hormones (LH and FSH), thus indirectly reducing the production of testosterone in men and estrogen in women. The elimination of these sex steroids confers a therapeutic benefit in a number of medical conditions, including prostate cancer and endometriosis. In phase II studies, abarelix was shown to reduce testosterone to very low levels. Prostate cancer is one of the most common tumors in men, with an estimated 179,000 new cases and 37,000 deaths projected in 1999. The growth of the tumor is stimulated by testosterone in about 80% of cases. Currently available hormonal superagonists cause testosterone levels to fall in three or four weeks, but only after causing an initial surge. The surge in testosterone levels can stimulate prostate tumors to grow, a complication called a clinical flare. This delay in testosterone suppression can result in increased risk to cancer patients. Abarelix halts the production of hormones without delay.

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