Btech weekly report: Therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis

Biotech therapeutics took center stage at the EULAR rheumatology meeting in Stockholm this week, with new studies supporting the use of both Immunex's Enbrel and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Meanwhile, interim phase III data for Abbott's D2E7 continues to support approval. If approved, D2E7 will compete directly with Enbrel and Remicade.

Biogen received a complete response letter for Amevive for the treatment of psoriasis. Biogen stated that no additional trials were required, although some additional data and clarifications were requested by the FDA. Interestingly, the stiffest biotherapeutic competition to Amevive may prove to be Enbrel. RA and psoriasis have several similarities in underlying pathology, including an overproduction of TNFa, the cytokine inhibited by Enbrel, Remicade, and D2E7.

DeCode scientists published a much improved genetic map of the human genome this week in Nature Genetics. Although an important scientific achievement, the implications for DeCode's business are not immediately clear.

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BTECH NEWS
by Leon Henderson, M.D.
Bennett Weintraub, Ph.D.
Christopher Martin
www.btechnews.com
June 17, 2002

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BTECH NEWS, published by Btech Investor, Inc., highlights selected events in the life sciences sector that the Btech Investor team believes are particularly relevant to biotechnology investors. The Btech Investor team combines scientific, clinical, and business experience to perform comprehensive analysis of the biotechnology industry and to identify future industry leaders.

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