Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

(AMRN)—FDA approves AZN’s Epanova fish-oil product for high tryglycerides:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-astrazeneca-pfizer-epanova-20140505,0,7311435.story

Industry analysts, on average, expect Epanova sales to reach a relatively modest $322 million a year by 2018, according to Thomson Reuters Pharma.

The new pill…was originally developed by Omthera Pharmaceuticals, which AstraZeneca acquired last year for up to $443 million [#msg-88369969].

…The new drug will compete with other fish oil-based medicines such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Lovaza, which now faces cut-price generic competition, and Amarin Corp Plc's Vascepa.

AstraZeneca also hopes to develop a fixed-dose combination of its cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor and Epanova. The new combination, if successful, would help extend the Crestor franchise beyond 2016, when the drug's U.S. patent ends.