Two new deals between European and Japanese drugmakers promise to pump some common drugs into the market in Japan. Novartis ($NVS) has teamed up with Eisai to get three lung drugs to Japanese patients, while Shire will work with Shionogi on commercializing ADHD meds.
The Novartis-Eisai arrangement involves the Swiss drugmaker's Onbrez treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as two more lung drugs in development. Eisai will jump onto the Onbrez launch, which started Sept. 20, targeting general hospitals and primary-care doctors, leaving Novartis to handle promotions at university and flagship hospitals, the companies said in a statement.
"Novartis Pharma aims to maximize the value of Onbrez," as well as the two in-development meds, "while Eisai seeks to further enhance its product portfolio in the area of internal medicine," the Japanese company said.
Shire and Shionogi's partnership covers ADHD drugs. Exactly which ones, Shire didn't say, but Shionogi's announcement mentions Vyvanse, the former's top-selling non-stimulant treatment, and Intuniv. The Irish company's earlier ADHD blockbuster, Adderall, is sold in Japan, where ADHD meds are expected to post 18% growth through 2018, GlobalData estimates. Globally, Vyvanse racked up $634 million in 2010, while Intuniv brought in $166 million.
Shionogi will pay a one-time fee and share costs with Shire in exchange for the rights to jointly develop and commercialize the ADHD products, the Irish company said in a statement.
- see the release from Eisai
- get Shire's announcement
- read Shionogi's version
- check out the Reuters news