Ligand Wins OK for 2 Drugs

Lightning struck twice for Ligand Pharmaceuticals last week when the Food and Drug Administration approved two anti-cancer drugs from the San Diego biotechnology company.

One of the drugs, Panretin, is a gel that has proven effective in treating Kaposi’s sarcoma, a disfiguring form of skin cancer common among AIDS patients. Untreated, the cancer--which produces red, purple or brown tumors that have become hallmarks of AIDS--can spread to the internal organs. One virtue of the gel: Patients can apply it at home, without a trip to the hospital or doctor’s office.

The company estimates that there may be as many as 50,000 patients with AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma in the U.S. and Western Europe, where the company will deploy its own sales force to market the drug.

The second product approved, Ontak, is an injectable drug for another disfiguring and rarer form of skin cancer, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The company estimates that 16,000 patients have the disease. It usually begins with itchy, dry skin patches that can develop into tumors and spread to other organs. The drug works by seeking out the lymphoma cells, where it delivers a dose of diphtheria toxin.

Neither drug is likely to be a blockbuster by pharmaceutical industry standards. The company anticipates revenue could reach as high as $75 million a year from Panretin, and $60 million for Ontak.