Posted by dougW (208.181.136.34) on February 24, 2001 at 10:24:43:
While this is listed as a "Migraine drug, it may be of interest to CH people, thought you might like to know. Now in the UK, soon in the USA.
DougW
Almirall's Migraine Drug Almotriptan Launched in UK
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LONDON (Reuters Health) Feb 22 - Spanish pharmaceutical firm Almirall Prodesfarmma's migraine drug almotriptan (Almogran) was launched on Wednesday in the UK and Northern Europe, according to the company.
The new triptan, the fifth drug in this class to reach market, has been priced at 3.25 pounds sterling per dose, compared with 4 pounds to 8 pounds per dose for current triptans.
Migraine specialists believe this will offer substantial health service cost savings. "In the UK, in 1999, 7.7 million oral doses of triptans were prescribed at a cost of 42.2 million pounds," said Dr. Giles Elrington, a consultant neurologist at St. Bart's and the London NHS Trust. "The same number of doses of almotriptan would cost 17.2 million pounds, a 40% cost saving."
According to Ann Turner, director of the UK Migraine Action Association, a patient advocacy group, there is substantial scope for expansion in triptan use. "Despite this class of drugs being available for a decade, three out of four migraine patients have never tried a triptan," she said.
Almotriptan was simultaneously introduced in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, where the drug is marketed by Lundbeck Ltd. In the rest of the world, including the US — where Almogran awaits approval from the US Food and Drug Administration — it will be marketed by Pharmacia & Upjohn.
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