News briefs: Pfizer's filiburvir; Sanofi's Plavix; EMA sued over transparency

11 March 2013

Among a batch of news reported over the weekend, US drugs behemoth Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has halted development of its hepatitis C drug candidate filiburvir (PF-00868554), said the Wall Street Journal, citing spokeswoman Victoria Davis, who said strategic review and capital allocation, not safety reasons, for the company’s decision.

“We continue to prioritize our [research and development] capital allocation to drive the next wave of innovative medicines and vaccines that bring benefit to patients and value to health care systems around the world,” Ms Davis said.

Pfizer’s drug was further behind in production than the rivaling products from Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) and AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), who are seen as leading the industry in the hepatitis C sector, which is expected to be a multibillion dollar market, the WSJ noted.

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