PARIS, December 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Nippon Kayaku (NK) and the Nordic Pharma Group (Nordic) have signed a licensing agreement under which NK grants exclusive rights to NORDIC for the development and commercialisation of Spanidin(R) (gusperimus) in selected territories outside of Japan, including Europe.
Spanidin(R) is an immunosuppressive agent developed and commercialised in Japan by NK in acute and accelerated rejection crisis after renal transplantation. The product has obtained promising results and orphan medicinal product status in Europe for the treatment of Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG).
Under this agreement, Nordic will design and execute the global clinical development of Spanidin(R), which includes a pivotal, comparative Phase III study for these patients suffering from WG relapse. Nordic will also be responsible for the regulatory filing and commercialisation of the product in the relevant countries. NK will ensure production of the active ingredient until registration and beyond.
Spanidin(R) has the potential to offer a treatment for relapsing WG patients, who currently have no approved drug to cure their disease.
With this new agreement, Nordic is actively pursuing its strategy to bring innovative drugs to the market in specialized therapeutic areas that have specific, unmet medical needs.
About the Nordic Group
The Nordic Group is a privately-owned, fast-growing, fully-integrated, pan-European Pharmaceutical Group that places strong emphasis on the development and commercialisation of niche hospital and orphan products and services that cater to the special needs of each client and patient. Nordic has 2 main platforms of core competencies:
- Marketing & Sales of Speciality pharmaceuticals throughout 13
countries in Europe (Nordic Pharma, Nordic Drugs)
- Specialised Pharmaceutical Services, which focus on Product
Development, Manufacturing, Supply Logistics and Regulatory activities
(Prague Clinical Services, QPharma, Disphar)
Since its creation, Nordic has enjoyed an average of 20% growth in revenues and pursues its expansion through organic growth and strategic collaborations.
Additional information can be obtained by visiting Nordic Group's Website at http://www.nordicpharmagroup.com
About Nippon Kayaku
Founded in 1916, Nippon Kayaku now focuses on pharmaceuticals, functional chemicals, and safety systems with over $1.7 Billion in revenues. In its Pharmaceutical Division, Nippon Kayaku manufactures and sells anti-cancer drugs, cardiovascular drugs, immunosuppressants, and other pharmaceuticals and diagnostics for prescription. In the anti-cancer drug field in particular, Nippon Kayaku offers a line up of 26 anti-cancer drugs and 6 supportive drugs, and is at the top level worldwide both in terms of technology and business performance. Nippon Kayaku works with cutting-edge technologies, and conducts clinical development for pharmaceutical DDSs (Drug Delivery Systems) with nanotechnology.
Additional information can be obtained by visiting Nippon Kayaku's Website at http://www.nipponkayaku.co.jp/english/
Contact:
Hans Schram, CEO & Managing Director, info@nordicpharma.com
Stéphane Altaba, Director Corp. Bus. Dev., busdev@nordicpharma.com
CONTACT: Contact: Hans Schram, CEO & Managing Director,info@nordicpharma.com. Stéphane Altaba, Director Corp. Bus. Dev.,busdev@nordicpharma.com. Tel: +33-153-63-22-70
