Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Pronova Biocare AS
Takeda and Pronova Biocare to Agree an License and Supply Agreement on Omacor®, Treatment for Hypertriglyceridemia
November 2, 2005, Osaka, Japan and Oslo, Norway --- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Osaka, Japan, “Takeda”) and Pronova Biocare AS (Oslo, Norway, “Pronova”) today announced that both parties have entered into a License- and Supply Agreement for Omacor® (generic name: omega-3 acid ethyl esters 90), a pharmaceutical product for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Under the agreement, Pronova has granted Takeda an exclusive development, marketing and distribution right in Japan. Takeda will pay to Pronova an up-front amount, development milestones, and also royalty once the product is launched. Omacor was developed by Pronova and contains highly concentrated ethyl esters of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Omacor has already been approved and is commercially available in the US, for the treatment of the adult patients with high triglyceride levels -and major European countries, for the treatment of post-myocardial infarction and adult patients with high triglyceride levels. •gWe are very pleased to have Takeda as a partner for the development- and marketing of Omacor in Japan,” said Dr. Egil Bodd, Chief Executive Officer of Pronova. “We are confident that the product will be successfully developed and marketed by Takeda, and professionally supported by the company’s excellent expertise in the cardiovascular field. In conclusion, Takeda seems a perfect partner for Pronova and Omacor.” “We believe that this partnership with Pronova will further strengthen Takeda’s cardiovascular and the metabolic syndrome franchise”, said Mr. Yasuchika Hasegawa, President & COO of Takeda. “Once Omacor joins our product portfolio, we will be able to offer much more variety of treatment options for patients with hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, each of which often can be seen in the same patients group simultaneously, and further contribute to the QOL of such patients.” ###
About Takeda Takeda, located in Osaka, Japan, is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.
About Pronova Pronova Biocare is the world’s leading supplier of Omega-3 fatty acids for human consumption. Pronova Biocare AS is a limited company owned by Ferd Private Equity. Pronova is a leader in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of Omega-3 derived products. Its core business areas are pharmaceuticals and dietary and nutritional supplements. Pronova Biocare’s head office is in Oslo, Norway, and it has modern production facilities in Sandefjord and Ålesund, Norway. Additional information about Pronova is available through its corporate website, www.pronova.com Contacts: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Seizo Masuda Corporate Communications Dept. + 81 (6) 6204-2060 Masuda_Seizo@takeda.co.jp Pronova Biocare AS Egil Bodd, MD, PhD Chief Executive Officer + 47 22 53 48 62 egil.bodd@pronova.com
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