Allergan focuses research assets on innovation, emerging global markets

The development of novel drug delivery technologies is a priority for the company.

Scott M. Whitcup

Allergan’s research and development team is devoted to innovation as a vehicle for improving eye care and embracing emerging global markets. Cost-effective clinical trials and improving patient access to new medications are integral to the company’s innovation-based strategy.

“Overall, the company focus is innovation,” Scott M. Whitcup, MD, Allergan’s executive vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer, said in an interview with Ocular Surgery News.

Allergan is positioning itself to provide first-in-class medications for a variety of conditions, Dr. Whitcup said.

“We’re going to try to be first in a therapeutic class,” he said. “We continue to have a number of completely novel research and development programs, so that there’s no question that we’re leading the charge.”

Getting products to the maximum number of patients hinges on the dissemination of information and getting products approved globally, Dr. Whitcup said.

“We also provide outstanding customer service,” he said. “It’s important to make sure [physicians] get all the scientific information they need to treat patients.”

In ophthalmology, Allergan is targeting a wide range of conditions in a growing array of patients.

“We look at the front of the eye, the back of the eye. Retina has been a newer area of focus,” Dr. Whitcup said. “We have a number of programs in the pipeline looking at everything from inflammation to diabetic disease, age-related macular degeneration and other retinal degenerations. Glaucoma is still a major focus for us. We believe that there’s still room for better medications with novel mechanisms of action. … Even on anterior segment disease, there’s still a fair bit of effort, better anti-inflammatory agents and better antibiotics.”

Targeted drug delivery

The centerpiece of Allergan’s research strategy is the development of therapies that target diseases affecting specific ocular structures while preventing or minimizing systemic side effects, Dr. Whitcup said. Ozurdex (dexamethasone intravitreal implant, 0.7 mg), indicated for macular edema following central and branch retinal vein occlusion, as well as noninfectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment, is at the vanguard of novel drug technologies.

Dr. Whitcup said that the shift toward targeted drug delivery is driven by an emphasis on risk-benefit analysis in the regulatory arena.

“Regulatory agencies like the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] and [European Medicines Agency] definitely assess benefits and risks,” Dr. Whitcup said. “So, we in ophthalmology are fortunate that many of our medications are safe and have little systemic side effects. That’s a good place to be for a patient, and ophthalmology is one of those specialties that lends itself to local therapy, whether it be an eye drop, injection in the eye or a sustained-release drug implant.”

Targeted drug delivery also promises to enhance compliance with dosing instructions, particularly among glaucoma patients, Dr. Whitcup said.

“Patients don’t like taking eye drops every day, even though they know that they need to take their medications if they are at risk of losing vision,” he said. “I think that sustained-release drug therapy will improve patient outcomes and lower the patient’s risk of vision loss. I also predict you’ll see more of the diseases in ophthalmology treated this way.”

New products will also be aimed at aging patients with a variety of ocular diseases, Dr. Whitcup said.

“Many of the diseases in ophthalmology become more prevalent with age, whether it’s dry eye, glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration,” he said. “All of those are age-driven. I think we will need better and better treatment to keep vision stable longer.”

Expanding patient access

Research and development efforts are aimed at devising cost-effective treatments, Dr. Whitcup said.

“I think that’s good for everybody because innovative treatment that not only addresses unmet medical needs but also cost-effectiveness in the end saves health care dollars,” he said.

Allergan strives to provide medications to patients who need them most, Dr. Whitcup said.

“We have an obligation to make sure that medications are there for patients throughout the world,” he said. “So, we spend a lot of time right from our first clinical trial discussing what data we need to get a drug approved in all the different countries around the world.”

Whenever possible, Allergan conducts multicenter clinical trials in different countries to expedite the approval of new drugs and make them available to the greatest possible number of patients, Dr. Whitcup said. – by David W. Mullin and Matt Hasson

• Scott M. Whitcup, MD, executive vice president of research & development at Allergan, can be reached at 2525 DuPont Drive, Irvine, CA 92623; 714-246-4488; email: whitcup_scott@allergan.com.