Shire showcases new ADHD drug to wary doctors

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON (Reuters) - Shire Plc, aiming to convince wary doctors to try its new hyperactivity disorder drug Vyvanse, will use a top U.S. medical meeting starting on Saturday to promote the product ahead of its June launch.

Extensive clinical data, including results of long-term tests, will be presented at the May 19-24 American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in San Diego.

Company spokeswoman Jessica Mann said the congress would be "very important" for Vyvanse, while industry analysts believe it could be key to ensuring early commercial success.

Switching patients onto the next-generation treatment before Shire's older Adderall XR drug faces cheap generic competition from 2009 is pivotal to future profit growth at Britain's third-biggest drugmaker.

Analysts at Citigroup forecast Vyvanse could achieve peak sales of $1.7 billion by 2016, by which time it would account for 31 percent of the U.S. market for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatments.

But the new product will have to fight its corner.

A recent survey of 54 pediatricians and psychiatrists found doctors were likely to try Vyvanse but were unconvinced it had advantages over current therapies.

Results of the survey by Anian, a Reuters company that tracks industry trends for institutional investors, suggested Vyvanse could initially capture roughly 20 percent of market share from Adderall XR.