July 1, 2009 – The Healthcare & Science business of Thomson Reuters today announced the availability of three Pharma Matters reports covering the time period January – March 2009. The quarterly Pharma Matters series covers all aspects of the pharmaceutical pipeline, leveraging strategic intelligence and competitive analysis from Thomson Pharma®, Newport Horizon PremiumTM and the Thomson Messaging Mapping SystemSM.

The Ones to Watch

A Thomson Reuters quarterly review of the latest phase changes in the pharmaceutical pipeline, this report is based on strategic data and analysis from Thomson Pharma, the world’s leading pharmaceutical competitive intelligence solution. In the report covering Q1 2009, the top five most promising drugs launched or receiving approval were:

Drug: Stelara™
Disease: Plaque psoriasis
Company: Centocor

Drug: Gelnique™ 
Disease: Overactive bladder
Company: Watson Pharmaceuticals

Drug: Priligy™
Disease: Premature ejaculation 
Company: AZLA Corp

Drug: Valdoxen®  
Disease: Major depressive disorder 
Company: Servier, Novartis

Drug: Uloric® 
Disease: Hyperuricema 
Company: Teijin, Ipsen, Takeda

More analysis, as well as information on drugs entering clinical Phases I, II and III are available in the full report found here.

Movers and Shakers

This report covers the US generics industry using data and analysis from Newport Horizon Premium, the critical product targeting the global business development system. Analysis from the Q1 2009 report includes:

• The biggest issue facing the US generics industry this year is the passage of favorable biogeneric legislation. Other challenges are the relative lack of funding for foreign inspections conducted by the FDA and the limited budget of the Office of Generic Drugs. Currently, the OGD is facing a backlog of work amounting to as much as three years.

• The median approval time of ANDAs has increased from 18.9 months in 2007 to 21.1 months in 2008.

• During the first quarter of 2009, Indian companies were in first place in terms of final ANDA approvals having surpassed the US from the previous quarter.

• In the first quarter of 2009, there were Paragraph IV patent challenges on 21 new active ingredients or combinations, up from eight during the previous quarter. Telva continues to be, by far, the most prolific filer of ANDAs with patent challenges.

• The most active acquirer of Q1 2009 was Sanofi-aventis, purchasing Zentiva of the Czech Republic for approximately $680 million. Sanofi-aventis has also announced their acquisition of Laboratorios Kendrick, one of Mexico’s leading generic companies.

To learn more about companies making their mark on the US generics market, click here to read the full report.

Who is Making the Biggest Splash?

A Thomson Reuters expert review of the organizations that are helping to shape professional opinions on drugs and therapies, using the unique insights of the Thomson Message Mapping System. In this quarterly review of the scientific literature on drugs and therapies, Thomson Reuters assesses the quantity and quality of the materials published by pharmaceutical companies, research institutions and other non-commercial bodies. The top five of the 15 listed organizations that have made the biggest impact as the leading sources of information on medical research from January – March 2009 are:

• Novartis
• Pfizer
• AstraZeneca
• GlaxoSmithKline

To sign up for the Thomson Reuters Pharma Matters series of publications, click here.