Nycomed Seals Agreement With Forest For Daxas

Nycomed and Forest Laboratories (Forest) have signed an exclusive development, manufacturing and commercialisation agreement in the US for Daxas (roflumilast). Its a once-daily oral treatment for patients suffering from symptomatic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Under the terms of the agreement, Forest will make an upfront payment of $100m and additional milestone payments to Nycomed, based on defined regulatory and commercialisation achievements.

Additonally, Nycomed will also receive royalties on US net sales typical for a product, which is in registration. Forest will assume responsibility for the US regulatory approval and commercialisation of Daxas in the US and both the companies will collaborate on future development programs.

Howard Solomon, chairman and CEO of Forest, said: We are pleased to have entered into this collaboration with Nycomed. Nycomed has demonstrated great dedication in bringing Daxas to its current NDA stage of development and we are looking forward to working with such a talented and committed group as we consider ways to further develop and expand the use of Daxas.

Daxas represents the first in a new class of agents to treat COPD and would be the first oral agent to be approved for this debilitating disease. If approved, Daxas will give physicians and patients a much needed new treatment option in a unique oral dosage form that can augment the existing armamentarium of inhaled therapies, he added.