Pfizer drops Daxas, capravirine

Pfizer (PFE) will return to Altana (FSE:ALT; AAA) all rights to Daxas roflumilast to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. ALT will be responsible for further development of the oral, once-daily phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitor. Daxas is in Phase III testing in the U.S. and is under EMEA review. The compound is partnered with Tanabe (Osaka, Japan) in Japan. ALT and PFE will continue to co-promote Detrol tolterodine for overactive bladder (OAB) until the end of 2006.

ALT also announced top-line results of the Phase III RATIO/M2-112 trial of Daxas to treat COPD. In the placebo-controlled trial in 1,513 patients with severe or very severe COPD, Daxas met the co-primary endpoint of improved lung function measured by FEV1 but missed the co-primary endpoint of frequency of moderate and severe exacerbations. On Friday, ALT was down EUR 7.43 (16%) to EUR 39.90. ...