Look back at pharma news to Sept 30

Allergan set the biotech world buzzing with the aggressive premium paid to acquire a toehold in the competitive race to produce a functional treatment for NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), wrote Alexander Poulos on the Seeking Alpha blog. AGN bold string of acquisitions positions them to challenge Gilead Sciences for supremacy in the field.

The marketplace dynamics for NASH are far different from HCV with treatment prescribed to control symptoms versus a cure employed in HCV. Thus, by the varied nature of therapy, the typical annuity-like revenue stream will be prevalent for those who bring forth viable treatments.

Mr Poulos said his initial reaction from the press releases announcing Allergan’s take out of  Tobira Therapeutics and  Akarna is that the company is utilizing a multiprong approach to combat NASH. The concept of monotherapy in his view seems doomed, a treatment for NASH will require combination therapy similar to what is seen in HIV and HCV.