Irvine-based Allergan Inc.’s chief executive on Thursday said he expects big growth for an improved formula of a drug that’s designed to treat overactive bladders.
The drug, Sanctura XR, now has fewer side effects than others on the market, according to the drug maker.
“I think we can say our product is better than Detrol, particularly in terms of dry mouth,” Chief Executive David Pyott told Reuters.
Detrol is made by Pfizer Inc.
Allergan picked up Sanctura XR late last year when it bought New Jersey-based Esprit Pharma. At the time, Sanctura had annual sales of about $40 million, compared to Detrol, which counts some $1 billion in sales.
Clinical results showed that Sanctura XR causes dry mouth in about 11% of patients, compared to dry mouth in 20% of those who took Sanctura’s original twice-daily formulation and 23% taking Detrol LA.
