The drug: AMR101
The disease: High triglycerides
The developer: Amarin
Peak projections: $3.2 billion (Leerink Swann)

Amarin has driven up its share price with stellar data from a pair of Phase III trials of its blockbuster hopeful AMR101, a prescription-grade omega-3 drug, which is on track for a potential approval in 2012. The developer ($AMRN) hopes to gain FDA approval of the drug as a treatment for patients with high triglycerides. Triglycerides are fats in the blood that, when elevated, increase a patient's risk of heart disease; it kills more people than any other cause of death in U.S.

Key Phase III data were released on AMR101 in April showing that patients on the a 4-g-per-day dose and those on a 2-g daily dose lowered their triglyceride levels 21.5% and 10.1%, respectively, building on upbeat results from the firm's first late-stage trial in late 2011. There were no elevated levels in LDL, or bad cholesterol, in patients on the drug, and data showed the med could in fact lower bad cholesterol. That could be a key point of differentiation for the drug among marketed triglyceride drugs on the market that can raise LDL cholesterol.

Amarin has been in talks with potential partners for AMR101, which could munch into the market share of GlaxoSmithKline's ($GSK) omega-3 drug Lovaza if approved. Leerink Swann, which places its peak sales estimates for the drug at $3.2 billion by 2021, believes that the efforts of a pharma partner could drive sales even higher than that estimate.

Still, there are questions about the intellectual property guarding the prescription-grade fish oil, making it somewhat unclear how long the company will enjoy market exclusivity for the treatment.

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