Article

Daiichi Sankyo Signs Agreement with AstraZeneca to Co-Commercialize MOVANTIKâ„¢ in the US

MOVANTIK is a first-in-class, once-daily, oral, peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adults with chronic non-cancer pain.

PRESS RELEASE

PARSIPPANY, NJ, March 19, 2015 — Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. today announced a co-commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca for MOVANTIK™ (naloxegol) in the US, in line with the Daiichi Sankyo strategy to expand its US portfolio through strategic alliances, in addition to internal R&D and acquisitions. MOVANTIK is a first-in-class, once-daily, oral, peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with chronic non-cancer pain.

MOVANTIK was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2014. It was descheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2015 and is no longer labelled as a controlled substance. The launch of MOVANTIK in the US is planned for early April 2015.

Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. will pay a $200 million up-front fee and subsequent sales-related payments of up to $625 million. AstraZeneca will be responsible for manufacturing, will book all sales and will make sales-related commission payments to Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Both companies will be jointly responsible for commercial activities.

Ken Keller, President, US Commercial, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., said: “We are proud to bring our proven primary care and specialty expertise to this collaboration with AstraZeneca.

MOVANTIK represents an opportunity to help patients manage one of the most common conditions arising from widely used pain medications, as well as an opportunity to continue to build the Daiichi Sankyo US portfolio of medicines in this therapeutic area.”

Paul Hudson, Executive Vice President, North America, AstraZeneca said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Daiichi Sankyo to expand our commercialization efforts in the US in order to get this important medicine to the large number of patients suffering with opioid-induced constipation. Our agreement reflects our evolving business model by creating value from our portfolio through externalization activity. Together, we will grow the potential of this important treatment, while we retain our significant interest in the long-term commercial success of MOVANTIK in our largest market.”

About MOVANTIK (naloxegol) tablets

MOVANTIK (naloxegol) tablets is the first FDA approved once-daily oral PAMORA specifically designed for the treatment of OIC in adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain. In the phase 3 clinical studies, MOVANTIK was administered as a once-daily tablet and was designed to block the binding of opioids to opioid receptors in tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract.

MOVANTIK is part of the exclusive worldwide license agreement announced in 2009 between AstraZeneca and Nektar Therapeutics. It was developed using Nektar’s oral small-molecule polymer conjugate technology.

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