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news.Labopharm and Gruppo Angelini have entered into an agreement to establish a joint venture Angelini Labopharm in the US for the commercialisation of Oleptro, a novel once-daily formulation of the antidepressant trazodone approved by the FDA on February 3, 2010.
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As part of the joint venture agreement, Labopharm is expected to grant Angelini Labopharm the exclusive right to market and sell Oleptro in the US.
The joint venture, Angelini Labopharm, is expected to be 50% owned by each of Labopharm and Angelini and is expected to be initially managed by Mary Anne Heino, president of US operations of Labopharm, and her team.
James Howard-Tripp, president and CEO of Labopharm, said: “This joint venture builds on the foundation of mutual trust and a track record of execution that underlies the co-development relationship we established with Angelini more than four years ago.”
Ms Mary Anne Heino said: “The global drug development and marketing experience of Labopharm combined with the commercial capabilities of an international enterprise will position us for a strong US launch of Oleptro in the third quarter of this year.
“The commercial readiness to launch Oleptro, including manufacturing, supply logistics and distribution channels, is now finalised, as are managed market access strategies and medical affairs.”
Gianluigi Frozzi, CEO of the pharmaceutical division of Gruppo Angelini, said: “We are pleased to re-enter the US market with Labopharm’s Oleptro, a drug that our company originally developed in our research labs. We look forward to working together with an Labopharm as we launch Oleptro. We also look forward to exploring opportunities to leverage the joint venture for Oleptro line-extensions, as well as the introduction of additional products to the US market.”