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Daiichi Sankyo, UCB Biopharma to jointly commercialise Lacosamide for epilepsy patients living in Japan
28 November 2014 - 28 November 2014 - Japanese pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd (TYO:4568) and Belgium-based biopharmaceutical company UCB Biopharma SPRL disclosed Friday that they had entered into an agreement to jointly commercialise Lacosamide for epilepsy patients in Japan.

As per the terms of the agreement, UCB Biopharma will manufacture and supply the product for commercialisation. Daiichi Sankyo will manage the distribution and book sales. Both companies will be commercialising Lacosamide in Japan.

Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO-elect of UCB Biopharma, said the company continues executing on its partnering strategy for Japan to improve patient access to its core medicines in collaboration with strong and patient-focused partners. Tellier also added that UCB Biopharma shares Daiichi Sankyo's passion for people living with epilepsy and for Lacosamide. He confirmed the company's belief that Daiichi Sankyo's excellence and overall market presence, including specialist areas addressing epilepsy such as neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, will improve and broaden patients' access to new treatment options for epilepsy in Japan.

George Nakayama, representative director, president and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo, said the company expects to contribute to the management of the treatment of epilepsy and offer a new therapeutic option by adding Lacosamide to its product portfolio in the field of CNS in Japan.

Based on the agreement and subject to achievement of certain milestones in the future, UCB Biopharma will receive from Daiichi Sankyo up to a total of about EUR 180 million (USD 224.248m) of upfront and milestones payments in the coming years. The agreement does not alter UCB Biopharma's financial outlook for 2014. The effect from this agreement on Daiichi Sankyo's business results of current fiscal year will be disclosed at a later date. Further details of the agreement are not revealed.

Lacosamide is currently not cleared in Japan for the treatment of epilepsy. Back in October, UCB Biopharma revealed that the Phase III trial assessing Lacosamide as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of Japanese and Chinese adult patients with partial-onset seizures achieved its primary efficacy goal. The top-line findings showed that Lacosamide (200 and 400 mg/day) significantly reduced partial-onset seizure frequency, when compared to placebo. The side effect profile in the trial was consistent with that known for Lacosamide. Based on the trial's encouraging results, UCB Biopharma plans to file regulatory applications in Japan and China next year for Lacosamide as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of adult patients with partial-onset seizures.

Lacosamide was first lintroduced in the European Union in 2008 under the name of Vimpat, as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in adult and adolescent (16-18 years) patients with epilepsy. The therapy is available in 44 countries, including the USA and in Europe.

UCB Biopharma holds the world-wide rights for development, manufacturing and marketing of Lacosamide.
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