Pfizer moves RA, pain drugs into Phase III

In a pipeline update released today, Pfizer said Phase III clinical trials for two new molecular entities. The first is a JAK inhibitor (CP-690,550), an rheumatoid arthritis drug. It's also conducting Phase III trials of tanezumab, a fully-humanized monoclonal antibody which reduces pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The company also founded a number of small business units, which are responsible for late-stage product development and commercialization. Pfizer says these customer-focused units will help it anticipate patients needs and align R&D activity accordingly.

"We are continuing to better align our pipeline candidates with the identified needs of patients and healthcare providers worldwide," said Mr. Read. "Importantly, our new business unit structure will enable us to advance our development programs with urgency and efficiency in support of achieving our regulatory submission goal and providing high value therapies."

- here's the update

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