Elan To Realign

Elan Corp. will realign itself to focus more resources on its pipeline. Concrete plans have not been released, but the company plans to cut a number of positions and “additional refinement to Elan’s commercial activities in Tysabri for Crohn’s disease,” according to a company statement. Elan will close its offices in New York and Tokyo during the 1Q09.

Elan’s chief executive officer Kelly Martin said that the changes have been under evaluation for several months, remarking, “We continually evaluate our pipeline, product portfolio, and company structure with a goal of maintaining our flexibility and ability to invest in the most valuable product opportunities for patients while driving value for our shareholders.”

Elan president Carlos V. Paya, M.D., Ph.D., said that Elan will shift its effort from what is a traditional sales commercial model to a model based on clinical support and education. He added, “We will continue providing the appropriate clinical information and scientific data to support the key gastroenterologist relationships we have established in the U.S. Elan continues to believe Tysabri is an important therapeutic option for patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease for whom conventional CD therapies and anti-TNFs are not viable.”