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 The pill, Yosprala, was developed by Canada-based Aralez
Pharmaceuticals Inc, whose shares rose nearly 10 percent on the
news.
Yosprala is designed to protect against gastrointestinal side
effects, including stomach bleeding, that can occur in some patients
who take daily aspirin.
Daily aspirin therapy is a standard treatment for patients who have
had a heart attack to reduce the risk of a second heart attack.
About 200,000 Americans a year who have one heart attack go on to
have a second.
Yosprala combines aspirin and omeprazole in a way that releases the
omeprazole first to protect the stomach. The aspirin is then slowly
released into what the company describes as a "gastroprotective
zone," thus reducing the risk of stomach ulcers.
In an interview, Aralez's chief executive, Adrian Adams, said the
out-of-pocket cost to patients would be less than $1 a day. He said
the company is "very conscious" of the controversy surrounding high
pricing of older drugs.
Adams said the price of Yosprala to patients will be equivalent to
what they would pay to buy the products separately over the counter.
He said he expects the drug to generate peak sales of about $200
million a year.
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In theory, a patient could buy over-the-counter omeprazole and
aspirin and take them together, but Adams said in order for the
omeprazole to be protective, it would have to be taken half an hour
to an hour before the aspirin, an inconvenient and haphazard regimen
that is avoided with Yosprala.
The company said it is expanding its U.S. sales force to 110 from 85
this month and plans the first promotional launch of the drug in the
first week in October.
The company's shares rose 55 cents, or 9.9 percent, to $6.00 in
morning trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington)
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