POZEN Product Pipeline Status

Migraine Market:
Unlike some other multi-billion dollar prescription markets, the migraine market is significantly underserved.  There are an estimated 25 to 30 million migraine sufferers in the U.S. alone.  Only half of U.S. migraine sufferers are currently diagnosed by physicians and only two-thirds of these diagnosed patients use prescription medications.  Over-the-counter medicines are generally the first step for many migraine patients. However, many patients do not obtain adequate relief and may benefit from prescription medications.

Today, most of the multi-billion dollar worldwide prescription market is represented by triptans. Although this class of drug represents a major breakthrough in migraine care, fewer than 40% of triptan patients consistently get 24-hour pain relief.  Also, triptan use is not recommended in patients with known cardiovascular risk factors.  More on Migraines

Arthritis Market:
According to the Center for Disease Control more than 46 million Americans suffer from arthritic symptoms and 19 million are physically limited by their condition.  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are two of the most common types of arthritis.  RA affects approximately 1.3 million Americans.

Nearly 27 million U.S. residents and 140 million people worldwide suffer from OA, a disease commonly treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).  Although NSAIDs can relieve pain and reduce inflammation, half of OA patients on chronic NSAID therapy are at risk of developing NSAID associated gastric ulcers.  Only a quarter of OA patients on NSAIDs are prescribed the gastroprotective agent (GPA) therapy they need, and up to 60% of patients will not adhere to the recommended PPI co-therapy after the third NSAID prescription. More on Arthritis

Cardiovascular Market:
It is estimated that 80 million people in the U.S. have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD).  Coronary heart disease affects 16,800,000 people and causes about 445,000 deaths annually.  Aspirin is the gold standard in anti-platelet therapy and is already incorporated into the American Heart Association (AHA) clinical guidelines for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.  About 50 million Americans use aspirin regularly for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) such as omeprazole are likewise recommended for concomitant use in patients on anti-platelet therapy at risk for GI bleeding, as recommended by AHA and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).  More on Cardiovascular Disease

Other Therapeutic Areas:
Beyond the fields of migraine and arthritis, POZEN is working to develop products in new areas where there is an unmet need and where we can improve a patient's quality of life. POZEN’s drug development experts have participated in the development and approval of more than 40 drugs, spanning areas such as migraine, gastrointestinal, respiratory, oncology and infectious diseases.