Hoping one deal begets even more

Though Pliva d.d. may not seem the obvious choice for marketing a branded specialty product in the U.S., Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc. thinks the Eastern European generics manufacturer is the perfect partner for its Sanctura trospium to treat overactive bladder (OAB). Under last week's deal, IDEV gets an experienced partner for which Sanctura will be its most important U.S. product, plus a funded sales force and plenty of cash to advance its pipeline and acquire additional products.

High on the list for IDEV was the partner's experience. Pliva (LSE:PLVD Zagreb, Croatia) has marketed trospium in Scandinavia and, through its U.S. subsidiary Odyssey Pharmaceuticals Inc., PLVD has experience in the U.S. urology market. Odyssey (East Hanover, N.J.) has marketed Urecholine bethanechol for urinary retention since acquiring the compound in 2000 from Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK, Whitehouse Station, N.J.)...