Almirall, Menarini sales and marketing update

Almirall granted Menarini's Invida Holdings Pte. Ltd. rights to commercialize aclidinium bromide in Australia and New Zealand to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The deal includes rights to aclidinium bromide monotherapy and aclidinium bromide/formoterol combination. The European Commission and FDA approved aclidinium bromide in July. The product is approved in the U.S. as Tudorza Pressair for the long-term maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD and in the EU, Iceland and Norway as Bretaris/ Eklira Genuair as maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in patients with COPD. The inhalable long-acting, selective M2 and M3 muscarinic receptor antagonist delivered using Almirall's Genuair inhaler is already on the market in Germany and Denmark. Menarini has rights to co-commercialize the product as Bretaris Genuair in the EU, Russia, Turkey and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Almirall retains the rights to market the product in the U.K., the Netherlands and Nordic countries as Eklira Genuair. In July, Almirall partnered with Quintiles Transnational Corp. (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) to promote aclidinium bromide in the U.K. (see BioCentury, July 30 & Aug. 6). ...