The Next Blockbuster – You Decide!

CNN Money reports that “After a rough couple of years dealing with patent expirations and the often frustrating hunt for new products, drug industry executives would love nothing better than an oracle to predict what products in their labs will become the big blockbuster drugs over the next few years.” (See “Big Pharma’s drug wish list for 2007“).

I’d like to try a “wisdom of the crowd” experiment and see if readers of this blog may be the oracle sought by the industry. So, here are the contenders for blockbusters and a bit of information about them. You add your own information and then vote on which ones you think will achieve blockbuster ($1 billion or more in yearly sales) status over the next few years.

• Januvia (Merck) – a recently approved “first-in-class” diabetes drug (enhances the body’s ability to produce its own insulin).
• Galvus (Novartis) – an experimental diabetes drug, will compete with Januvia
• MK-0524A (Merck) – experimental drug being tested for its ability to increase HDL (similar to Pfizer’s ill-fated torcetrapib)
• Arcoxia (Merck) – experimental anti-inflammatory pain killer drug for arthritis. Available outside US, may be approved next year by FDA.
• Acomplia (Sanofi-Aventis) – generally considered an anti-obesity drug. Available overseas, trying to get approved by the FDA in the US.

So, which of these drugs do you think will become a blockbuster in the next few years. Please take the following poll — don’t cheat and view the results before voting!