Forgive the double entendre. But the drugmaker does need to interest them in prescribing Vyvanse, its follow-up to Adderall XR, which loses patent protection in 2009. To blunt the threat, Shire purchased New River Pharma and the new drug for $2.6 billion this year.

To generate some interest, Shire will present all sorts of clinical data, starting tomorrow, at the five-day annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Diego. The hope is to use the event to grease the wheels for a June launch, several weeks later than expected.

Shire spokeswoman Jessica Mann tells Reuters that the meeting is “very important” for Vyvanse, and industry analysts believe it could be key to ensuring early commercial success. In an investor note, Cowen analysts forecast 2008 sales of $430 million.

To make that happen, Shire must exploit a few advantages - Vyvanse is longer lasting and, though a stimulant, it’s not metabolized until reaching the stomach, which may make it less appealing to drug abusers than Adderall XR. Still, Vyvnase is listed as controlled substance.

Nonetheless, a recent survey of 54 pediatricians and psychiatrists found the docs were likely to try Vyvanse but were unconvinced it had advantages over current therapies. This suggests that Vyvanse could initially capture only 20 percent of market share from Adderall XR.

What else must Shire do to stimulate interest?

Source: Reuters[tags]Adderrall XR, ADHD, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Vyvanse[/tags]