Pharmaceutical Business review

Wyeth diet drugs: slim financial pickings

Net loss for the 2004 fourth quarter was $1,764.3 million compared with net income of $335.3 million in the prior year. The 2004 fourth quarter included a charge of $4,500 million for costs relating to the Redux and Pondimin litigation. Total charges recorded to date amount to $21,100 million.

However, worldwide net revenue increased 7% to $4.6 billion for the 2004 fourth quarter and 10% to $17.4 billion for the 2004 full year. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, worldwide net revenue increased 5% and 7% for the 2004 fourth quarter and full year, respectively.

Effexor, currently the number one selling antidepressant globally, achieved worldwide net revenue of $3.3 billion for the year, an increase of 23%, exceeding its longstanding goal of $3 billion in annual net revenue in 2004 and becoming Wyeth’s first $3 billion product.

Protonix, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) indicated for the healing and symptomatic relief of severe heartburn, posted net revenue of $1.6 billion for the year, an increase of 7%.

Enbrel, a breakthrough product approved for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile RA, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, posted exceptionally strong sales growth for the year.

Reported by Wyeth’s marketing partner Amgen, full year Enbrel net revenue in North America was $1.9 billion, an increase of 46%. Wyeth has exclusive rights to Enbrel outside of North America where net revenue for the year reached $680 million, more than double that of the previous year.

Net revenue of Prevnar, Wyeth’s vaccine to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease in both infants and young children, was $340 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of 62%. For the year, net revenue increased 11%, reaching $1.1 billion, making Prevnar the first ever billion-dollar vaccine.

Also contributing to Wyeth’s growth in 2004 was Zosyn, which remains the second largest selling and fastest growing broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotic globally. Net revenue increased 19% to $760 million for the year, reflecting growth in both the US and internationally.

However, net revenue for the Premarin estrogen family of products was $217 million for the fourth quarter, a decrease of 13% and $880 million for the year, a decrease of 31%.