UCB (UCBJF) recently reported positive data on antiepileptic drug Vimpat (lacosamide) at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society. The company reported analyses of pooled data from open-label extensions of several phase II/III trials.
The data analyzed the long-term effects of Vimpat as an adjunctive therapy for adults with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures. The data demonstrated that the drug was generally well-tolerated and led to decreased partial-onset seizures and consistent efficacy in patients undergoing open-label treatment for up to eight years.
The analyses also showed improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during long-term treatment with Vimpat. Specific areas of improvements, as voiced by patients, include seizure worry and social functioning. Patients also reported improvements in their overall health state.
We note that Vimpat is currently marketed as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults with epilepsy. We believe that this data will help boost the drug’s sales, which climbed 78% at constant exchange rates (CER) to €154 million in the first nine months of 2011.
Last month, UCB entered into a license and acquisition agreement with Lectus Therapeutics for the acquisition of the latter’s pharmaceutical assets. With this acquisition, UCB took over Lectus’s drug discovery and development programs, which are aimed at treating certain central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
We believe that Lectus’s drug discovery and development programs will support UCB’s research efforts in the CNS field and add to its top-line growth, which amounted to €2,451 million in the first nine months of 2011.
We currently have a Zacks #3 Rank (short-term Hold rating) on UCB.
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