Astellas, Acofide: Japanese Approval Raises Global Hopes!

March 2013 | 3 pages | ID: AAAC14080F5EN
MP Advisors

Abstracts

Astellas and Zeria announced today that they received approval for Acofide in Japan (Acotiamide /Z-338, functional dyspepsia, jointly developed by Astellas and Zeria in Japan). Acofide is the first drug to be approved for Functional Dyspepsia (under Rome III criteria) and addresses a huge unmet need – it is estimated that over a quarter of Japanese adults suffer functional dyspepsia (~25m people). Currently, PPIs, H2-blockers and cytoprotactive agents are being widely used for functional dyspepsia (Table 1), though they have not demonstrated effectiveness and are used off-label owing to unavailability of any approved treatment. Expectations From Global Markets are High: While we expect Acofide to generate ~¥20b revenues from Japan, it carries a much larger potential in the western markets as nearly 30% of Americans suffer from some symptom of functional dyspepsia (FD)

Companies mentioned

Astellas, Zeria