ZAMBON TARGETING THREE COMPOUNDS FOR CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT

ZAMBON TARGETING THREE COMPOUNDS FOR CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT in the U.S. over the next five years. In an Oct. 28 release announcing the start up of a U.S. subsidiary, the Italian firm said: "During Zambon's initial five-year entry phase into the United States market, ibopamine, the first of a new class of inotropic agents, Monuril (fosfomycin trometamol), a single dose antibiotic, and Broxaterol, a potent beta agonist, will be in clinical research and development." Zambon recently regained rights to ibopamine, its lead compound in development, from SmithKline ("The Pink sheet" Oct. 31, "In Brief"). The firm had exclusively licensed ibopamine to SmithKline for the U.S. market and was jointly working on development in other countries. Ibopamine is in Phase III studies at SmithKline for congestive heart failure. Under the agreement, Zambon will have rights to all of the clinical research conducted to date by SmithKline. Zambon said that it will probably initiate new studies with the compound as well as continuing the ongoing Phase III studies. The firm currently markets ibopamine in Italy and plans to continue development work in other countries. Zambon expects to file an IND for Monuril, a single dose antibiotic for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, by March 1989. The firm is in discussions with several U.S. pharmaceutical companies for possible collaborative development of the antibiotic. The drug was approved in Italy earlier this year. Zambon expects to gear up for clinical work with the asthma compound Broxaterol sometime in 1989. Operations at Zambon Corporation officially began Sept. 1. The East Rutherford, New Jersey-based company is headed by former Physicians World Communications Group Vice Chairman Herbert Grossman. Prior to his 1984-1988 tenure with Physicians World Communications Group, Grossman served as chief executive officer of the cancer research firm, Gordon Labs, from 1980 to 1984, VP-marketing with USV, VP-planning and development with Revlon's international health care group, and general manager of the consumer products division at Roche. The firm's VP-R&D is Joseph Franciosa, MD, formerly in charge of development of cardiovascular and renal drugs at Stuart. Franciosa joined Centocor for one month before coming to Zambon. Anne Marie Petragalia, senior VP-regulatory affairs at Advanced Therapeutics Communications International, will be joining as VP-regulatory affairs in early December. Zambon is working with three consulting firms for the development of its products: Oxford Research International, for clinical work; Biodynamics, for toxicology work; and Argus, for reproductive work. Based in Italy, parent company Zambon Group S.p.A. manufactures and markets human and animal pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and hospital products. The company is projecting sales of $ 300 mil. this year.