London, ENGLAND--
AstraZeneca has announced the formation of a co-promotionagreement in Japan with Daiichi Sankyo to co-promote denosumab for treatingbone disorders that stem from bone metastasis. Once the treatment is approvedin Japan, the two companies will co-promote it. Daiichi Sankyo acquired rightsto denosumab in Japan in 2007 from Amgen Inc. and filed a Japanese New DrugApplication in August 2010.
Denosumab, with its novel mode of action and targeted delivery viaa monthly subcutaneous injection, represents a new treatment option in Japanfor the management of bone metastasis across a broad range of cancer types. Bone metastasis takes place when cancer cells from theprimary tumor relocate to a patient's bone, can lead to bone fractures and is one of the most frequent causes of pain for cancer patients. Denosumab is the first approvedtherapy that targets RANK Ligand, which regulates osteoclasts, the cells thatbreak down bone. By targeting this regulator, denosumab has been proven toprevent the spread of cancer to the bone. The treatment is delivered as a monthly subcutaneous injection.
"Collaborations like this are a key part of our strategy tobring innovative medicines to patients," says Tony Zook, Executive VicePresident of AstraZeneca's Global Commercial Organization. "This partnershipleverages our long-standing commitment to oncology in Japan, and we lookforward to contributing our expertise in this area to bring this novel cancertreatment to patients upon approval."
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
