Takeda: Blopress (candesartan cilexetil)
Takeda: Blopress (candesartan cilexetil)
Candesartan cilexetil is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) used in the treatment of hypertension. The compound was launched by Takeda in Europe in December 1997 as Ambias in the UK and as Blopress in Germany. Takeda and AstraZeneca co-market candesartan in the UK, Germany, France and Italy, while Takeda retains the rights for Japan and South East Asia.Blopress, whose primary indication is for the treatment of hypertension, is expected to receive approval for a broader range of treatments related to cardiac failure. The drug is in phase 111 trials in Europe and the US and in registration in Japan for the additional indication of chronic heart failure. Furthermore, Takeda has developed a drug that combines candesartan with a diuretic for the treatment of hypertension, which was filed in Japan in December 2002. Blopress is also in phase II trials in Japan for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
Blopress experienced relatively rapid uptake, with Takeda's global sales climbing to $618m in 2001 from $397m in 2000. In 2002 sales rose a further 36.2% to $842m. In Japan, sales rose steeply from $245m in 2000 to $44 lm in 2001. Sales were driven by Takeda's existing presence in the hypertension market and by the product's efficacy and attractive side effect profile.
In September 2002, AstraZeneca announced that it had secured a labeling change, making candesartan the only ARB to boast superiority over the market leader and first entrant, Merck's Cozaar (losartan), in terms of blood pressure lowering. However, the strongest competition to candesartan will continue to be Sanofi-Synthelabo/Bristol-Myers Squibb's Avapro (irbesartan), a product that, like Blopress, is relatively new to the market but is growing rapidly. In 2002, Bristol-Myers Squibb recorded Avapro sales of S586m, 20.3% up on 2001.
Pfizer's Norvasc (amlodipine), a calcium channel blocker, leads the Japanese hypertension market. Blopress was the second ARB to reach the Japanese market, following Banyu's Nu-lotan (losartan), which was launched in August 1998. However, launches of other ARBs, including Novartis' Diovan (valsartan) and Shionogi's Avapro (irbesartan), in-licensed from Sanofi-Synthelabo, have made the Japanese ARB market increasingly competitive. Nevertheless, given Takeda's strength in Japan, candesartan's second-to-market advantage and the fact that candesartan is considered to be a second generation ARB, Blopress is expected to continue to perform well.
Benicar (olmesartan), due to be launched in Japan by Sankyo in 2004, represents one of the greatest threats to sales of Blopress in this market. In trials, Benicar has been shown to have greater efficacy than Cozaar and Diovan. Nevertheless, all agents in the class will benefit from continued uptake of ARBs in Japan and, as the class leader, Blopress will benefit most. With potential to expand its indications and clinical trial results that prove it to be superior to losartan, Blopress is expected to be a key revenue driver for Takeda. Sales of $ 1,085m are forecast for 2003, rising to $ 1,447m in 2005 and $ 1,646m in 2008.
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treatment of hypertension
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