Novartis’s failure in osteoporosis could be bad break for Tarsa
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Novartis’s SMC021 failed to meet main fracture reduction endpoints in osteoporosis Phase III trial. While the result is arguably unsurprising for a calcitonin candidate, it is a setback for other companies such as Tarsa Therapeutics aiming to stimulate growth of the class. Tarsa may now struggle to secure a partner willing to bring its pipeline drug Ostora to the market. Novartis is expected to discontinue development of SMC021 and focus on more attractive targets for osteoporosis treatment.