Replies to post #88510 on Biotech Values

[rkrw]

APPA. They'll have to compete on price. That's why i think in Abraxis hands at least you'd have some of the old Aloxi sales people pushing it. Which may or may not make a difference. But for all i know Abraxis may have no interest. Could be useful to someone though to throw another drug in their hospital bag.

[gfp927z]

PGS, (APPA) - Another advantage for an injectible CINV drug like APPA's APF-530 is that with Aloxi you set up the IV line and give Aloxi 30 minutes prior to giving the chemo. But then the patient has to sit there occupying the chemo chair/room hooked up for 30 minutes doing nothing.

With APF-530 on the other hand, they give the subcutaneous injection 30 minutes prior to the chemo, and then the patient can go back out in the waiting area for 30 minutes prior to getting hooked up to the IV for the chemo. So there could be cost/time savings involved favoring the APF-530's injectible sub-Q route of administration vrs Aloxi's IV route, especially in busy chemo centers. The patients would also appreciate having 30 minutes less 'chairtime' strapped to an IV.

Another related factor would be the way the center administers the steroid (dexamethasone), which is often given concomitantly with 5-HT3 antagonist CINV drugs, especially when highly emetogenic chemo agents are being used. Dexamethasone can be given either orally or IV.


So APF-530 should be able to compete with Aloxi, not only on price, but for the clinical reasons cited -

- The higher complete response rate with APF-530 vrs Aloxi in treatment experienced vrs treatment naive patients (patients with prior chemo experience tend to have greater nausea/vomiting).

- The higher response rates vrs Aloxi with the highly emetogenic chemo agent Cisplatin, for both acute onset and delayed onset CINV.

- Potential cost/time savings to the cancer center favoring APF-530's sub-Q administration route vrs Aloxi's intravenous route. Also, patients benefit by less 'chairtime' hooked up to the IV.

- Granisetron (Kytril) is already a widely used and trusted CINV drug, so clinicians currently using Kytril should eagerly embrace the new sustained release form of Granisetron, APF-530. Same for users of other non-Aloxi 5-HT3 antagonists for CINV, like Zofran, Anzemet, and Zensana. Many of these should transfer over to the sustained release APF-530, especially based on price compared to Aloxi.


(I sound like a salesman for AP Pharma) :o)