SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nektar
Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) reported that partner AstraZeneca today
announced a co-commercialisation agreement with Daiichi Sankyo,
Inc. for MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) in the US, in line with the
Company's strategy of delivering value through its own development
and commercial capabilities as well as through external
collaboration. MOVANTIK is a first-in-class once-daily oral
peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) for the
treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with
chronic non-cancer pain.
MOVANTIK was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in
September 2014. It was descheduled by
the US Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2015 and is no longer labelled as a
controlled substance. The launch of MOVANTIK in the US is planned
for early April 2015.
Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo Inc. will pay a
$200 million up-front fee and
subsequent sales-related payments of up to $625 million. AstraZeneca will be responsible for
manufacturing, will book all sales and will make sales-related
commission payments to Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Both companies will be
jointly responsible for commercial activities. AstraZeneca's 2015
financial guidance, provided on 6 March
2015, is unaffected by today's announcement.
Paul Hudson, President,
AstraZeneca US and Executive Vice President, North America, said: "We are delighted to
collaborate with Daiichi Sankyo to expand our
commercialisation efforts in the US in order to get this
important medicine to the large number of patients suffering with
opioid-induced constipation. Our agreement reflects our evolving
business model by creating value from our portfolio through
externalisation activity. Together, we will grow the potential of
this important treatment, while we retain our significant interest
in the long-term commercial success of MOVANTIK in our largest
market."
Ken Keller, President, US
Commercial, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., said: "We are proud to bring our
proven primary care and specialty expertise to this collaboration
with AstraZeneca. MOVANTIK represents an opportunity to help
patients manage one of the most common conditions arising from
widely used pain medications, as well as an opportunity to continue
to build the Daiichi Sankyo US portfolio of medicines in this
therapeutic area."
The agreement is in line with AstraZeneca's business model,
which includes value creation from the strong science underpinning
its pipeline and portfolio through externalisation activity. This
approach aims to benefit patients by collaborating with subject
matter experts that can help us to bring important treatments to
market while delivering revenue.
About MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) tablets
MOVANTIK
(naloxegol) tablets is the first FDA approved once-daily oral
PAMORA specifically designed for the treatment of OIC in adult
patients with chronic non-cancer pain. In the Phase III clinical
studies, MOVANTIK was administered as a once-daily tablet and was
designed to block the binding of opioids to opioid receptors, in
tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract.
MOVENTIG® (naloxegol) also received Marketing
Authorisation from the European Commission in December 2014 for the treatment of OIC in adult
patients who have had an inadequate response to laxative(s).
MOVANTIK/MOVENTIG is part of the exclusive worldwide license
agreement announced in 2009 between AstraZeneca and Nektar
Therapeutics. It was developed using Nektar's oral small-molecule
polymer conjugate technology.
About OIC
OIC is a condition caused by prescription
opioid pain medicines. Millions of patients are treated with
opioids each year. Opioids play an important role in chronic pain
relief and work by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous
system, but they can also bind to mu-receptors in the bowel, which
can result in patients suffering from OIC. The incidence of OIC in
patients with chronic pain varies and has been suggested to be as
high as 81%.
About Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
Daiichi Sankyo Group is
dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical
products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of
patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its
portfolio of marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension,
dyslipidemia and bacterial infections used by patients around the
world, the Group has also launched treatments for thrombotic
disorders and is building new product franchises. Furthermore,
Daiichi Sankyo research and development is focused on bringing
forth novel therapies in oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic
diseases, including biologics. The Daiichi Sankyo Group has created
a 'Hybrid Business Model' to respond to market and customer
diversity and optimize growth opportunities across the value chain.
For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com. Daiichi
Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is a member of the
Daiichi Sankyo Group. For more information on Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.,
please visit www.dsi.com.
About AstraZeneca in Neuroscience
A significant unmet
medical need remains in the areas of cognitive disorders, chronic
pain, and other central nervous system disorders. With a rich
heritage and a research and development focus on specific aspects
of neurodegenerative diseases, analgesia and psychiatry,
AstraZeneca continues to push the boundaries of science in
neuroscience in collaboration with others across industry and
academia. Notably, in September 2014,
AstraZeneca announced an alliance with Eli Lilly for the joint
development of AZD3293/LY3314814, an oral beta secratase cleaving
enzyme (BACE) inhibitor as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's
disease, which is currently being studied in a pivotal Phase II/III
trial.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global,
innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the
discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription
medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular,
metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology,
infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over
100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of
patients worldwide. For more information please visit:
www.astrazeneca.com.
CONTACTS
Media
Enquiries
|
|
|
|
Esra
Erkal-Paler
|
|
+44 20 7604 8030
(UK/Global)
|
|
Vanessa
Rhodes
|
|
+44 20 7604 8037
(UK/Global)
|
|
Ayesha
Bharmal
|
|
+44 20 7604 8034
(UK/Global)
|
|
Michele
Meixell
|
|
+1 302 885 6351
(US)
|
|
Jacob Lund
|
|
+46 8 553 260 20
(Sweden)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investor
Enquiries
|
|
|
|
Thomas Kudsk
Larsen
|
|
+44 20 7604 8199
|
mob: +44 7818
524185
|
Karl Hård
|
|
+44 20 7604 8123
|
mob: +44 7789
654364
|
Eugenia
Litz
|
|
+44 20 7604 8233
|
mob: +44 7884
735627
|
Craig
Marks
|
|
+44 20 7604 8591
|
mob: +44 7881
615764
|
Christer
Gruvris
|
|
+44 20 7604 8126
|
mob: +44 7827
836825
|
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/astrazeneca-and-daiichi-sankyo-to-jointly-commercialise-movantik-in-the-us-300052997.html
SOURCE Nektar Therapeutics