Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2015 9:15:06 GMT -5
They regard Afrezza as just a transtional drug to Toujeo.
(From BioPharm Dive, interview of Pascale Witz, EVP at the JPM Conference.
The insulin wars: Lantus, Toujeo, and Afrezza
<< There’s been plenty of ballyhoo surrounding Afrezza, the inhaled insulin product that Sanofi is planning to launch later this year in conjunction with MannKind. The fact that Afrezza still doesn’t have an official launch date, in particular, has stoked whispers that Sanofi isn’t all that excited for the product.
But that’s all a bunch of nonsense, according to Witz. "We are focusing on the two [insulin] products, but they're different,” she said. “Toujeo is the new golden standard insulin glargine, and that's a market in which we have more of a ground today. This is really our field, if you like."
Toujeo is the highly-anticipated next-gen insulin that’s expected to bolster Sanofi’s sales just as its flagship Lantus falls off the patent cliff. But it’s not just about bigger sales with a fresh product, Witz says—there’s a real potential to help diabetes patients avoid the disastrous downstream consequences of the condition.
"[D]espite Lantus, despite insulin glargine, half of diabetic patients still aren't at their goal…There are 60 amputations per day [in the U.S.] due to the consequences of diabetes."
But it could be difficult to convince a certain class of patients that a long-acting and powerful med like Toujeo is the right way to go—particularly those who are averse to injections in any form. And that’s where Afrezza enters the picture.
"Afrezza, inhaled insulin, as much as we work on convincing patients to move into insulin, some patients are very resistant to insulin," said Witz. An inhaled (and eminently portable) inhaled option like Afrezza could at least convince diabetics to try out insulin, and perhaps even convince them to eventually transition to a stronger product like Toujeo.
>>
"We're very optimistic about [Afrezza], but it's new in the field."
Beyond 2015: The most exciting launch of the future
BioPharma Dive asked Witz a simple question: What product launch, outside of the obvious insulin and cholesterol contenders, is she most excited to see go through in the coming years?
"I'm very excited about all of our product launches, of course,” said Witz. “Quite frankly, I think dupilumab is very exciting. It's one biological pathway that can express itself in different forms.”
Dupilumab, an IL-4 and IL-13 antibody, is still in early-stage clinical trials. But what makes it so exciting to Witz and Sanofi is that it could become the first approved, safe, and long-acting treatment for atopic dermatitis. And on top of that, it’s shown promise in completely different conditions such as asthma and nasal polyps thanks to the multitudinous nature of the pathways that it targets. (UPDATE: On Thursday, Sanofi announced that it had struck a monoclonal antibody manufacturing deal with Boehringer Ingelheim)
(From BioPharm Dive, interview of Pascale Witz, EVP at the JPM Conference.
The insulin wars: Lantus, Toujeo, and Afrezza
<< There’s been plenty of ballyhoo surrounding Afrezza, the inhaled insulin product that Sanofi is planning to launch later this year in conjunction with MannKind. The fact that Afrezza still doesn’t have an official launch date, in particular, has stoked whispers that Sanofi isn’t all that excited for the product.
But that’s all a bunch of nonsense, according to Witz. "We are focusing on the two [insulin] products, but they're different,” she said. “Toujeo is the new golden standard insulin glargine, and that's a market in which we have more of a ground today. This is really our field, if you like."
Toujeo is the highly-anticipated next-gen insulin that’s expected to bolster Sanofi’s sales just as its flagship Lantus falls off the patent cliff. But it’s not just about bigger sales with a fresh product, Witz says—there’s a real potential to help diabetes patients avoid the disastrous downstream consequences of the condition.
"[D]espite Lantus, despite insulin glargine, half of diabetic patients still aren't at their goal…There are 60 amputations per day [in the U.S.] due to the consequences of diabetes."
But it could be difficult to convince a certain class of patients that a long-acting and powerful med like Toujeo is the right way to go—particularly those who are averse to injections in any form. And that’s where Afrezza enters the picture.
"Afrezza, inhaled insulin, as much as we work on convincing patients to move into insulin, some patients are very resistant to insulin," said Witz. An inhaled (and eminently portable) inhaled option like Afrezza could at least convince diabetics to try out insulin, and perhaps even convince them to eventually transition to a stronger product like Toujeo.
>>
"We're very optimistic about [Afrezza], but it's new in the field."
Beyond 2015: The most exciting launch of the future
BioPharma Dive asked Witz a simple question: What product launch, outside of the obvious insulin and cholesterol contenders, is she most excited to see go through in the coming years?
"I'm very excited about all of our product launches, of course,” said Witz. “Quite frankly, I think dupilumab is very exciting. It's one biological pathway that can express itself in different forms.”
Dupilumab, an IL-4 and IL-13 antibody, is still in early-stage clinical trials. But what makes it so exciting to Witz and Sanofi is that it could become the first approved, safe, and long-acting treatment for atopic dermatitis. And on top of that, it’s shown promise in completely different conditions such as asthma and nasal polyps thanks to the multitudinous nature of the pathways that it targets. (UPDATE: On Thursday, Sanofi announced that it had struck a monoclonal antibody manufacturing deal with Boehringer Ingelheim)
