We open with this Friday "Top O' The Morning" post -- to help us smile our way into our respective weekends -- Fierce Biotech gleefully reminds us of the "bad old days" (circa 2008-2009), once again -- with its top ten Phase III flame-outs list:
. . . .Back [from early 2008, to as late as mid-2009] when Schering-Plough was pushing vicriviroc up the pipeline, CEO Fred Hassan boldly predicted that the HIV therapy was headed for a regulatory filing in early 2010 and would go on to reap as much as $750 million in 2013. And Merck was just as upbeat about its chances when the drug giant bought out Schering-Plough.
So much for bold predictions in the development business. In early 2010 Merck researchers explained that two Phase III trials of vicriviroc, a CCR5 co-receptor antagonist designed to block the virus from penetrating cells, failed to hit the primary endpoint among patients taking a drug cocktail. . . .
The candidate is now in New Merck's dust-bin.
Yep -- that's the "Master of the Pharma Turnaround", speaking [WARNING: the truth's at that previous link] for ya' there, folks. Or so CNBC would have you believe. Reminder for those keeping score at home, Vicriviroc is now also Line Item No. 4, in the "Hassan Hangovers" table. Sweet.
1 comment:
While I'm not a reputable news source....I did mention this to you back on the 4Oct!
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