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news.Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Kadmon Pharmaceuticals have signed two strategic agreements for the development and commercialisation of taribavirin and the commercial marketing of ribavirin in the treatment of viral diseases, including hepatitis C virus (HCV).
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Taribavirin and ribavirin are both nucleoside antimetabolite drugs that interfere with duplication of viral genetic material.
As per the terms of the first agreement, Kadmon has got an exclusive, worldwide license to taribavirin, from Valeant excluding the territory of Japan, in exchange for an upfront payment of $5m, other development milestones, and royalty payments in the range of 8-12% of future net sales.
Under a separate agreement, Valeant has paid Kadmon $7.5m for exclusive rights to all Kadmon dosage forms of ribavirin, including 200mg, 400mg, and 600mg tablets and capsules, in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Valeant will source these products from Kadmon.
Kadmon Pharma CEO Samuel Waksal said that Kadmon is building upon its commercial platform in hepatitis C through expanded global distribution and the addition of complementary products.
"Taribavirin completes our ribavirin franchise and will ensure its future sustainability and growth. We have also expanded our global distribution network for ribavirin into markets in which Valeant is a leading provider," Waksal said.
Valeant CEO J Michael Pearson said that while participating in product development in the overall hepatitis C market no longer fits within their corporate development strategy, ribavirin should be a significant product for their branded generics portfolio in Central Europe.