Dive Brief:
- Novartis is seeking approval for two separate, twice-a-day therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), which some refer to as smoker's cough. Both drugs—QVA149 and NVA237—are already EMA-approved in Europe.
- COPD kills a person every 10 seconds and will become the third leading cause of death by 2030.
- Potential estimated earnings for the two drugs is $1.4 billion by 2017, according to Bloomberg analysts.
Dive Insight:
Despite the fact that the two Novartis products that are under review are twice-daily treatments—and there are once-daily treatments available (such as GSK's Anoro)—the need for even more COPD treatment options exists given the broad epidemiology and severity of this disease.
One of the drugs, NVA237, was licensed by Novartis from Vectura in 2005. Assuming the FDA accepts the application, Vectura stands to receive a $20 million milestone payment from Novartis.