New Drug To Become Clinical Gold Standard For Asthma

Schering- Plough/Novartis's formoterol/mometasone will become the clinical gold standard for asthma by 2011, owing to its competitive advantages in delivery over AstraZeneca's Symbicort.

According to the new report entitled Asthma: Novel Product Differentiation Remains a Key Challenge, formoterol/mometasone may have a greater number of inhaler device options if Schering-Plough/Novartis decides to pursue both metered dose inhaler (MDI) and dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations of the drug.

Surveyed primary care physicians indicated they would prescribe formoterol/mometasone to 34% of their patients with persistent asthma.

"Pulmonologists emphasize that delivery device and formulation can influence patient compliance and, in turn, outcomes -- as a result, they value a variety of options for their patients," said Cindy Mundy, Ph.D., director at Decision Resources. "Although Schering-Plough/Novartis has yet to announce the delivery device in which the drug will be administered, formoterol/mometasone could be made available as both an MDI and a DPI, which is the same for the current asthma market leader -- GlaxoSmithKline's Advair/Seretide/Adoair."