Orexo announces that partner Kyowa Hakko Kirin entered a Joint Distribution Agreement on KW-2246 for treatment of cancer pain in Japan
Uppsala, February 2, 2010 – Orexo AB (STO: ORX) announces today that its partner Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. has entered a joint distribution agreement for the cancer pain drug KW-2246 (Orexo’s sublingual fentanyl product) with the pharmaceutical company Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. Kyowa Hakko Kirin is responsible for the approval process for the product in Japan and under the terms of the agreement, KW-2246 will be jointly distributed by the two companies once the manufacturing and sales approval is obtained. Each company will carry out independent product distribution and information provision/gathering activities under a one-brand, two-channel setup. Commenting on the announcement, Torbjörn Bjerke, Orexo’s President and CEO, said: “The preparation for a new-drug application for KW-2246 in Japan is one of the important steps in the international development of Orexo’s sublingual fentanyl product, in Europe launched under the brand AbstralTM. This agreement further strengthens the commitment we see from our partner Kyowa Hakko Kirin in the Japanese market.” For further information, contact: Torbjörn Bjerke, President and CEO Tel: +46 (0)708-66 19 90 E-mail: torbjorn.bjerke@orexo.com Claes Wenthzel, Executive Vice President and CFO Tel: +46 (0)708-620 122 E-mail: claes.wenthzel@orexo.com About AbstralTM AbstralTM is a fast-disintegrating tablet for sublingual administration of fentanyl, intended for the management of breakthrough cancer pain in patients who are already receiving opioid analgesics. It is based on Orexo’s unique and patented sublingual tablet technology in which a rapidly disintegrating tablet is placed under the tongue and the active substance is absorbed by the mucous membrane. Currently AbstralTM is sold in Sweden, UK, Germany, Spain, Greece and France. An NDA for AbstralTM has been filed in the US by the partner ProStrakan and in Japan the product is being prepared for registration by the partner Kyowa Hakko Kirin. About Orexo Orexo is a pharmaceutical company focusing on developing treatments for pain and inflammation. The company has four products on the market as well as a broad project portfolio in late stages of development. Sales and product development are mainly carried out through worldwide partnership agreements with larger pharmaceutical companies. Orexo has 108 employees, and has its head office located in Uppsala, Sweden. More information can be found at www.orexo.com. About Kyowa Hakko Kirin Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of medical products and pharmaceuticals. As the parent company of the Kyowa Hakko Kirin Group, it manages the business activities in the Bio-Chemicals and Chemicals segments with the Pharmaceuticals segment as its core business. More information can be found at http://www.kyowa-kirin.co.jp/english/index.html. Note: This is information that Orexo AB (publ) is required to disclose pursuant to the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act and/or the Swedish Securities Markets Act. The information was provided for public release on 2nd February, 2010 at 08:00 CET.
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