Tuesday, May 22, 2012

国内药企国际化 激活中国新药研发潜力

2012-05-16 医药经济报 国内很多药厂一提到国际化,首先想到的是缺乏经济实力,没有国际化经验,语言不通,不敢往外看,不敢出去尝试。这一点,实力并不比我们更强的韩国药厂作出了表率。    

韩国药厂的启示 前段时间,一家韩国药厂的一个改基团"me-too"降糖药在该国获批上市。与此同时,该韩国药厂开始了进军全球市场的计划,与一家中国大型药企达成在中国合作开发分享市场的合作协议。对于欧美市场,由于进入门槛较高,成本超出了公司承受的能力,则计划相对慎重。其国际化策略先是分析在海湾6国和拉美国家上市的可行性,然后扩展到亚太国家和非洲国家。    目前除了中国等少数几个国家,在其他国家上市已经获得该国批准的新药,几乎都不需要再开展注册临床试验,只需整理已有试验数据报批即可。很多小国家仅需几个月的时间、几万美元的注册成本即可"搞定"。  这个案例让我们认识到,国际市场并不只局限在欧美日发达国家,而且也不是那么遥不可及。欧美日上市难度大,药厂完全可以考虑从亚太、拉美、东欧甚至非洲国家切入。通过这些项目积累经验,锻炼和培养人才,为今后进军发达市场打下坚实基础。 确立了国际化的市场策略后,在新药创制中,最好是从基础研究开始就以国际化标准来进行,从一开始就为产品打好符合ICH指南要求的良好基础。    

临床试验法则变通  我国目前已拥有了从研究(Research)到开发(Development)的国际化、坚实的外包力量。药物发现、CMC(化学、生产和控制)、GLP实验室毒理研究等环节已有高水平且价格合理的临床前CRO。如保诺科技、药明康德、康龙化成、桑迪亚、美迪西、昭衍生物以及国家药物安全评价中心等。这些公司和机构的外包价格和欧美相比,成本低一倍以上,但质量却能达到国际水平。这为中国制药研发创造了非常有利的条件,足不出户即可获得价廉物美的研发服务,这是我们的优势。欧美药厂早已把这些早期开发拿到中国外包给上述公司执行,国内药厂近水楼台,何不有效利用?  基于我国长期以来以仿制药研制的历史,《药品注册管理办法》规定,只有设置在国内的药厂开发1类创新药方可首先在中国进行Ⅰ期临床试验,国外原研药完成Ⅱ期或Ⅲ期后可在中国首发上市。 与美欧相比,我国新药临床试验进入门槛高,但完成临床试验后的获批率也高,这仍然是审评审批政策长期基于仿制药研发思路的原因所致。在这样的历史背景下,国内药厂通常只需完成一个Ⅰ期、一个Ⅱ期、一个Ⅲ期临床试验,共约7001000例病例数就基本符合审评要求,获得上市,而这些品种往往并不是真正意义的创新药。对于这类品种,在中国早上市将有助于产品在其他国家上市和早日实现回报。 除此之外,中国临床研究拥有明显的成本优势,平均比欧美成本低50%以上。此外,在某些领域,如乙肝、糖尿病、高血压、高血脂、骨质疏松、肾病、癌症……中国的患者群非常庞大,受试者入组较为容易,这将大大缩短招募入组时间,降低开发成本。  反观美欧新药审评,对于原研药执行的是宽进严出的审批政策,即上临床试验容易,但在临床试验过程中失败的案例却占大多数。 一个创新药通常需要庞大的临床研究数据来支持上市。对于非罕见病治疗药物,通常需要十几项甚至几十项临床试验,需要几千甚至上万例病例数的数据方可支持上市。此外,欧美、亚太、拉非国家对临床试验普遍比较开放,审批快,入组进度和试验质量都有保障,在临床试验阶段可以提供很多便利,能为中国的临床研究提供很多有益的补充。    

充分利用地域优势 如能充分运用上述国内外优势扬长避短,采用较高的标准进行新药研发,将极大缩小成本,加快进度,提高国际资本对产品价值的认可度。因此,进行新药开发时,需同时考虑国内和国际两个方向的研发策略,灵活实施。 笔者最近遇到多个案例都在尝试运用这些灵活的策略。有的品种是直接从美国引进的技术或化合物,在国内开展符合国际水平的早期研究;有的品种直接从跨国药企许可(licensein)而来在国外完成临床前研究或进入Ⅰ期试验,回国后再重复临床前研发使之成为国产1类新药在中国开展Ⅰ期临床试验;也有的品种是和国内研发机构如医科院、军科院、药物所、医工院、医药大学等合作开发。 利用在中国的优势,迅速将项目推进到Ⅰb或者Ⅱa期临床试验阶段,如果整个过程以较高的国际水准操作,则能最大化吸引国际资本市场对产品的追捧。因为,如果在中国开展的Ⅰ、Ⅱ期临床试验证明了较好的市场前景,便能吸引充足的资本,这时候再杀回国际市场,进行全球临床开发,将完全释放产品的全球价值。 在实际操作中,目前业内普遍认为新药在香港上Ⅰ期临床试验比较容易,而且数据被SFDA认可。新加坡、澳大利亚、韩国、中国台湾、印度等亚太地区都是早期研究的理想地区,虽然价格比国内贵一些,但是考虑到审批时间快,其总体效益较高。如果不走出国门,这些地区的优势永远不能得到充分利用。    

投入产出比较分析 当今,国际上每个新批品种的研发成本已经达到几十亿美元,一个新产品进入Ⅰ期临床就意味着数千万美元的价值;进入Ⅱ期临床可能有上亿美元的价值,进入Ⅲ期则意味着5亿美元以上的价值。由此可见,这个投入和产出比非常划算。 前段时间阿斯利康投资和记黄埔的肿瘤研发产品,合作金额达到1.2亿美元。这便是对上述国际化策略的一个有效印证。港资背景的和记黄埔,从建立之初即着眼产品的国际化,其管理人员、临床前研究、CRO选择皆以国际标准为考量。经过几年努力,他们已经拥有数个肿瘤、消化领域的创新药进入临床研究阶段。除此之外,最值得借鉴的是和记黄埔在操作过程中,同时执行国内外两种策略。国内策略以国内申报和验证试验为主,所以使用本土CRO以节省成本;国际策略则在澳大利亚、美国、加拿大等进行Ⅰ~Ⅲ期的临床试验,提升药品价值和关注度。这些最终成为他们赢得国内国际两个战场的保障。 简言之,树立长远的国际化眼光,紧靠市场和资本,聘用国际化素质的管理人员,执行灵活的研发策略,从研发项目一开始就以国际标准实施,有效利用国际国内研发平台的优势和资源,将彻底激发中国新药研发产业的潜力,为日渐低迷的全球健康研发产业注入新的能量,必将开创一个中国引领的亚洲和欧美日共分天下的世界新药研发新格局。(作者:任科为PPD医药高级商务总监)

Boston Scientific Announces FDA Approval of Stem Cell Drug; Osiris Receives Marketing Clearance for Prochymal

By Staff and Wire Reports        Thursday, 17 May 2012 18:59    Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) announces U.S. FDA approval and market launch of the Epic" Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System.  The Epic Stent is designed to open blocked arteries in patients with iliac artery stenosis, a form of peripheral vascular disease associated with severe leg pain caused by insufficient blood flow.   "The Epic Stent System demonstrates an excellent combination of flexibility, radial force and deployment accuracy - all important attributes when treating challenging atherosclerotic lesions in the iliac arteries," said Thomas Shimshak, M.D., medical director at Wheaton Franciscan Heart Care in Racine, WI.  "The comprehensive stent size matrix should also help meet a variety of clinical requirements when treating iliac arterial disease with no compromise in deliverability or stent performance."  The Epic Stent is a self-expanding Nitinol stent designed to sustain vessel patency, while providing enhanced visibility and accuracy during placement.  It employs an innovative Tandem Architecture", which is engineered to provide excellent stent flexibility while maintaining predictable radial force characteristics and fracture resistance.  The Epic Stent employs distal and proximal radiopaque markers and all stent sizes are compatible with 6F sheaths.  The stent delivery system is offered in two shaft lengths (75 cm and 120 cm) for all sizes and is compatible with 0.035" guidewires.  In January, Boston Scientific announced that the ORION trial met its primary clinical endpoint.  The Epic Vascular Stent System demonstrated a low nine-month major adverse events (MAE) rate of 3.4 percent in the intent-to-treat population, which was significantly lower than the pre-specified performance goal of 17 percent (p<0.001) based on historical published outcomes for iliac stenting.  "The Epic Stent is another example of our commitment to innovation in treating peripheral vascular disease, a growing worldwide health concern," said Jeff Mirviss, president of the Boston Scientific Peripheral Interventions Division.  "This next-generation stent expands our growing peripheral interventions portfolio, complementing the leading Express® LD balloon-expandable iliac stent, and offering physicians a versatile new option to treat patients with challenging lesions in the iliac arteries."   Iliac stenosis (narrowing) occurs when plaque accumulates within the arteries that supply blood to the legs, which can lead to poor blood flow, claudication (leg pain) and other complications.  The disease can be treated with medication, surgery or angioplasty.  The Epic Vascular Self-Expanding Stent System received CE Mark approval and was launched in Europe and other international markets in 2009. 

Mobile Technology May Influence Medical School Training

May 21, 2012 RSS Feed Print    

Mobile devices are becoming more prevalent in medical school programs.  The proliferation of mobile and electronic technologies, both in the United States and overseas, has changed the way medicine is practiced, affecting both physicians and medical students. How would this affect your medical school experience?   The New York Times recently reported on ways that mobile technologies have increased access to healthcare advice in remote areas of the world, such as villages in central Africa. Even in the United States, the use of technologies to reach patients in remote or rural locations has become very important for maintaining access to healthcare, particularly for specialty care. Many medical schools have taken notice. 

[See why med students should consider overseas clinical experience.]   Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health has spearheaded an initiative to implement these technologies—mHealth, or mobile health—involving both faculty and medical students on approximately 51 projects looking into the potential impact of these technologies in healthcare delivery, particularly in less developed areas of the world. The school has initiated courses, as a result, on the impact of these technologies on global healthcare.   Harvard Medical School has also offered an opportunity for both students and faculty to conduct field studies and discuss studies based on cases from Rwanda involving the use of mHealth. Medical students now have a chance to not only navigate this new mobile-integrated system but also to participate in patient care; in addition, they communicate among each other and other professionals through a global health online community.   

[Learn how premeds can help meet global medical needs.]   For medical students across the United States, mHealth has the potential to transform the landscape of clinical training in the following ways.    Addition of mobile devices to preclinical education: To optimize education and be more environmentally friendly, some medical schools have been giving students options to receive educational materials through mobile devices. The Boston Globe reported that Yale University intends to issue mobile devices to medical students, and Harvard plans to offer the option for students to receive materials via paper or a mobile device.    Introducing mobile patient tracking in third year clinical experiences: Harvard is also in the process of integrating mobile devices into the medical school clinical years. The school is involved in launching an app, compatible with most smartphones or tablet devices, allowing third year medical students to track patient encounters and faculty to subsequently review them in a secure manner.   Although the use of mobile technologies in healthcare delivery is relatively new, in the future it is likely to become a widely adopted tool used by physicians to enhance patient care. As more medical schools integrate tools such as mHealth, these new technologies could have a significant impact on the future of medical education as well.  

Monday, May 21, 2012

了得...中國版的Iressa: Icotinib (BPI-2009H) !!

Icotinib (BPI-2009H), a novel EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, displays potent efficacy in preclinical studies.

Lung Cancer. 2012 May;76(2):177-82. Epub 2011 Nov 22.

Source  Zhejiang Beta Pharma Inc., R&D Center, 1 North Disheng St., 29, BPUSP, Beijing 100176, China.

Abstract  Icotinib, one of the leading compounds selected from our compound library, was found to be a potent and specific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with an IC(50) of 5 nM. When profiled with 88 kinases, Icotinib only showed meaningful inhibitory activity to EGFR and its mutants. Icotinib blocked EGFR-mediated intracellular tyrosine phosphorylation (IC(50)=45 nM) in the human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cell line and inhibits tumor cell proliferation. In vivo studies demonstrated that Icotinib exhibited potent dose-dependent antitumor effects in nude mice carrying a variety of human tumor-derived xenografts. The drug was well tolerated at doses up to 120 mg/kg/day in mice without mortality or significant body weight loss during the treatment. A head to head randomized, double blind phase III trial using Gefitinib as an active control for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was finished recently (Trial registration ID: NCT01040780). The data shows that Icotinib was non-inferior to Gefitinib in terms of median progression free survival (PFS) and safety superior favor to Icotinib compared to Gefitinib.

腸道免疫抑制調控: PD-1 !!

 The Inhibitory Receptor PD-1 Regulates IgA Selection and Bacterial Composition in the Gut     Science 27 April 2012:   Vol. 336 no. 6080 pp. 485-489  1 Laboratory for Mucosal Immunity, Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, RIKEN Yokohama 1-7-22, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan. 2 Department of Biochemistry, Hanoi Medical University, 1st Ton That Tung, Hanoi, Vietnam. 3 AK project, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. 4 Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.

Abstract  Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is essential to maintain the symbiotic balance between gut bacterial communities and the host immune system. Here we provide evidence that the inhibitory co-receptor programmed cell death–1 (PD-1) regulates the gut microbiota through appropriate selection of IgA plasma cell repertoires. PD-1 deficiency generates an excess number of T follicular helper (TFH) cells with altered phenotypes, which results in dysregulated selection of IgA precursor cells in the germinal center of Peyer's patches. Consequently, the IgAs produced in PD-1–deficient mice have reduced bacteria-binding capacity, which causes alterations of microbial communities in the gut. Thus, PD-1 plays a critical role in regulation of antibody diversification required for the maintenance of intact mucosal barrier.

alveice Team. Powered by Blogger.