The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that finds the cheese. This has proven true many times in the drug industry in the past—think of how, in the statin market, Merck & Co. Inc. 's pioneering lovastatin (Mevacor) and simvastatin (Zocor) were overtaken by Pfizer's Inc.'s atorvastatin (Lipitor), the fifth statin to reach the market. It may prove true once again with inhaled insulin.
Pfizer will probably be first to market with its inhaled insulin product, Exubera. An FDA advisory committee in early September...