OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Osip)

[ker7502]

AP
OSI and Pfizer to Test Eye Drug
Monday June 26, 5:06 pm ET
OSI Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer to Test Macugen for Long-Term Treatment of Retinal Disease


NEW YORK (AP) -- Drug companies OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Pfizer Inc. said Monday they will begin testing an existing drug's long-term effectiveness in treating patients with a retinal disease.
OSI Eyetech and Pfizer Opthalmics, divisions of the two pharmaceutical companies, co-market Macugen, a drug to treat an eye disease in which abnormal blood vessels grow and leak into part of the retina, causing vision loss and sometimes blindness.


Macugen was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Now, the companies will start a Phase IV trial to test the drug's effectiveness and safety as a maintenance treatment for the disease. The primary endpoint of the 54-week study is the percentage of subjects whose vision stays stable or improves. The study will enroll up to 1,000 patients.

Shares of OSI Pharmaceuticals rose 12 cents to close at $31.88 on the Nasdaq. Pfizer's shares closed up 37 cents to $23.01 on the New York Stock Exchange.