Astellas signs European deal in pain management
pharmafile | June 23, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Astellas
Astellas has struck a deal with Californian company NeurogesX to market in Europe a treatment for pain linked to peripheral neuropathic conditions.
The Japanese company will gain marketing rights to Qutenza, which is the lead candidate in NeurogesX's portfolio and was approved in Europe last month.
The deal also gives Astellas a co-development and commercialisation option on NGX-1998 – NeurogesX's next-generation liquid formulation of Qutenza that is soon to enter phase II trials.
Masao Yoshida, president and chief executive of Astellas Europe, said he was pleased with the agreement, which fits with the company's overall strategy.
He added: "Leveraging our foothold in these territories with our strong sales and marketing teams and Qutenza's product profile, we are positioning for a successful commercial launch that will introduce an important new product to patients with neuropathic pain."
The product Qutenza (capsaicin) has been developed by NeurogesX, a biopharmaceutical company that is specialist in novel pain management therapies.
It is a dermal patch approved for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in non-diabetic adults, either alone or in combination with other medicinal pain products.
The initial focus for the patch is on chronic peripheral neuropathic pain, which encompasses a number of conditions including:
* Postherpetic neuralgia, a pain that persists in some people who have had shingles
* HIV-distal sensory polyneuropathy, which is characterised by chronic pain in the hands and feet that can be caused by the immune system's fight against HIV;
* Painful Diabetic Neuropathy, a chronic pain caused by widely fluctuating and often excessive plasma glucose levels, which injure the sensory nervous system
Under the agreement, Astellas will launch and market Qutenza in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, as well as certain countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In return NeurogesX will receive two upfront payments from Astellas, of 30 million euros for Qutenza commercialisation rights and five million euros for the option on NGX-1998. There will also be futher milestone payments based on a double-digit percentage of net sales for Qutenza.
Meanwhile, NeurogesX is waiting to hear from US regulator the FDA about the new drug application for Qutenza it submitted last year.
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