Valeant Pharmaceuticals International said Tuesday that it completed enrolling patients in a second third-phase clinical trial for retigabine, an epilepsy drug the company is looking to for growth.
The Aliso Viejo drug maker, in a statement, said it enrolled 539 patients in the trial, which is being done at 69 sites across the U.S., Europe, Australia, Israel and South Africa.
A current third-phase trial is going on in 49 sites in the U.S. and four other areas, including Canada.
Valeant said it expected the trials to conclude in the second quarter and file regulatory applications in the U.S. and Europe with an anticipated launch date of 2009 for the drug.
At a time when some on Wall Street are saying Valeant needs a blockbuster drug, Chief Executive Timothy Tyson has pointed to retigabine as a product that could pay dividends for the company.
“Retigabine, assuming positive clinical results, could provide significant revenues once approved and marketed,” Tyson said earlier this month.
Some analysts have estimated that retigabine could bring in at least $300 million to $500 million annually once it is commercialized.
Valeant got retigabine in 2005 through a $280 million buy of San Diego’s Xcel Pharmaceuticals Inc.
