Pfizer to co-market Boehringer Ingelheim COPD drug with blockbuster

Boehringer Ingelheim has become the latest company to strike a deal withPfizer and gain access to the latter's undoubted marketing prowess to push a promising new drug in late-stage development. The two companies have entered into a worldwide co-marketing deal for Spiriva (tiotropium), a novel, once-daily inhaled treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which is thought to have a peak sales potential in excess of $1 billion, giving Pfizer another possible blockbuster for its already strong portfolio.

COPD, which encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema and is usually caused by smoking, has attracted considerable interest amongst the pharmaceutical industry in recent years as a target for drug discovery, as it affects a staggering 600 million people worldwide, kills five million people a year and is rapidly increasing in incidence. Current treatment for the disease relies on the use of bronchodilators, steroids, theophylline, antibiotics and oxygen, but these measures are not fully effective and often cannot interrupt the progression of the disease.

Extending COPD franchise