Resources for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Cancer Concerns Fuel FDA Inquiry

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Sometimes rare safety issues with one or two drugs can sink the fortunes of other drugs in the same class of therapies. Yesterday, the FDA issued a communication that it was looking into possible safety issues with some of the best-selling biopharmaceuticals on the market.

The FDA's statement announced an investigation into the possible connection between a class of drugs called TNF inhibitors and a range of cancers in children.

TNF-inhibitor-based drugs on the market include Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) and Wyeth's (NYSE: WYE) more-than-$3 billion-a-year Enbrel, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Schering Plough's (NYSE: SGP) more-than-$3 billion-a-year Remicade, and Abbott Labs' (NYSE: ABT) Humira, which is expected to bring in around $4 billion in sales this year. Needless to say, any reluctance by doctors to prescribe the drugs, or a tightening of FDA restrictions on these compounds' use, could have a very negative impact on some of big pharma's top lines.

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