Eisai has linked up with Orion to sell two of the Finnish drugmaker’s breast cancer and Parkinson’s disease treatments in China.
The drugs in question are the cancer treatment Fareston (toremifene) and Eldepryl (selegiline) for PD. They were sold by a local distributor beforehand and now Eisai China has snapped up the marketing rights. No financial details have been disclosed.
Fareston is indicated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor positive or unknown tumours and is commonly used as an adjuvant therapy. Eldepryl is used in combination with levodopa-containing agents to treat PD in patients who have previously had an inadequate response to treatment with levodopa therapies alone.
The deal is part of Eisai’s plans to expand its presence in the emerging markets, notably China, and the Tokyo-based drugmaker has defined oncology, liver disease and disorders of the central nervous system as therapeutic areas of focus for its China business. The firm’s core products in the country at the moment include Methycobal (mecobalamin) for peripheral neuropathy treatment, Neo-Minophagen C (glycyrrhizin) for hepatitis, the proton pump inhibitor Pariet (rabeprazole) and Eisai’s blockbuster anti-Alzheimer’s agent Aricept (donepezil).
Eisai added that it is “actively engaged in product creation activities in China”, currently developing such treatments as its recently-approvedbreast cancer drug Halaven (eribulin) and the investigational antiepileptic perampanel.
