Neues Viagra Von Pfizer



20 years after Viagra, Pfizer seeks another miracle drug

It has been 20 years since Viagra was introduced, and Pfizer is still searching for another drug with as much earning power as the revolutionary blue erection pill.

If anything, the chances for another miracle drug may be waning as the pharmaceutical giant constrains its research and development budget amid broader cost-cutting efforts.

Pfizer forecasts it will spend $7.4 to $7.9 billion this year on R&D, compared with $7.7 billion last year, according to projections released in February.

That is below the R&D of rivals such as Merck and Johnson & Johnson, which plan more than $10 billion in spending.

Pfizer’s restraint means walking away from entire areas of medical research.

In January, the world’s number two pharmaceutical company by sales ended its research programs into treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, cutting 300 jobs and saying it would reinvest the funds in other domains.

Pfizer also signaled it could sell its consumer healthcare business, which includes popular over-the-counter products such as the anti-inflammatory drug Advil, multivitamin Centrum and the ubiquitous ChapStick lip balm.

Sharing the risks

Pharmaceutical R&D is a tricky business in the United States, where there is extensive clinical testing and back-and-forth with the Food and Drug Administration before introducing a new drug.

Once launched, pharma companies also are under increased pressure to keep drug costs low following a number of controversies over runaway pill prices.

The cost of bringing a new drug to market requires an average of $2.6 billion, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

That’s a heavy investment considering that in the last 20 years there have been just 19 treatments that have generated at least $1 billion in annual revenue for their first five years, according to the QuintilesIMS Institute, a health care data and research company.

Against this backdrop, Pfizer has increasingly opted for a model where it shares the risks and benefits with other drug makers.

It has announced strategic partnerships with Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb, while also collaborating with biotechs and university researchers in areas such as oncology and immunology.

Pfizer also finances some research through a venture capital-type unit, Pfizer Venture Investments.

Pfizer has had other highly lucrative drugs besides Viagra, including the anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor, the anti-depressant Zoloft and the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex.

The company said it is confident of future success.

“Our current pipeline is poised with an opportunity to deliver up to an additional 15 potential blockbusters over the next five years,” a Pfizer spokesman said.

The spokesman noted that the company’s R&D budget has been “very consistent” at around $7.65 billion the last three years.

But revenue dropped slightly last year to $52.5 billion. While the group expects sales to rise in 2018, at most it would go up just five percent, according to company projections.

Key challenges include the arrival of new generic products and the growth of the biosimilar market, which allows for substitutes to traditional drugs.

The arrival of biosimilars in Europe has cut into sales of the anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel and Viagra itself has seen revenue drop as generics have been launched in the US and Europe.

Wall Street analysts consider Pfizer a likely candidate for a mega merger. Pfizer’s efforts at giant takeovers of AstraZeneca and Allergan may have fizzled, but it has bought smaller companies in the very recent past.

In 2016, Pfizer acquired Medivation and Anacor, which added to its portfolio Xtandi and Eucrisa, treatments for prostate cancer and eczema.

In 2015, Pfizer supplemented its own biosimilar business with the purchase of Hospira.

Feedback to editors

Study suggests giving infected patients combinations of antibiotics may promote resistance

Wonder drug? Exploring the molecular mechanisms of metformin, a diabetes drug with Medieval roots

Serotonin is a master regulator of neuroregeneration

Know thy mitochondria: Autoimmunity to organelles and their DNA

Second person dies from SARS-linked virus in China: official
Researchers uncover new vulnerability in k >
Mix of stress and air pollution may lead to cognitive difficulties in children
Helping patients prep mind and body for surgery pays off, study suggests
Real-time flu prediction may be possible using wearable heart rate and sleep tracking devices
Action needed to improve poor health and disadvantage in the youth justice system
New study >
Researchers investigate molecule, VISTA, which keeps immune system quiet against cancer
No clear ev >
Mosquitoes engineered to repel dengue virus

Related Stories

Pfizer cons >
Key drug sales push Pfizer profit up 50 percent
EU regulators clear Pfizer’s purchase of Hospira
Bigger Pharma: Allergan in merger talks with Pfizer
Pfizer buying Hospira for about $15.23 billion
Pfizer says Hospira purchase will close in early September

Recommended for you

Melatonin for jet lag shouldn’t be available on NHS concludes expert review
Wonder drug? Exploring the molecular mechanisms of metformin, a diabetes drug with Medieval roots
Medica >
This drug could save their lives, but less than 2% of them get it
New compounds block master regulator of cancer growth, metastasis
FDA documents analysis reveals inadequate monitoring of safe opio >

User comments

What do you think about this particular story?

Your feedback will go directly to Science X editors.

E-mail the story
20 years after Viagra, Pfizer seeks another miracle drug

Phys.org

Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science

Tech Xplore

Tech Xplore covers the latest engineering, electronics and technology advances

ScienceX

Science X Network offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web

Newsletters

Follow us

Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.