Schering AG arm acquires licence for UK’s Sinclair eczema drug

Intendis, the dermatology-focused subsidiary of Schering AG, has acquired distribution rights in eight countries for Atopiclair, a treatment for atopic dermatitis developed by Sinclair, the UK-based pharmaceutical company.

The Berlin-based subsidiary will sell Atopiclair under the brand name Zarzenda in Brazil, Mexico, Austria, as well as semi-exclusively in France, German, Spain and Italy. Furthermore, the drug will be Sinclair’s first to be sold in Russia.

Sinclair intends to launch Atopiclair in France and Portugal itself in 2007. It claims that co-marketing the product will enable it to achieve faster product growth.

For Intendis’ marketing rights, the company will pay Sinclair and up-front fee, with further milestone payments and margins dependent on product sales.

Dr Michael Flynn, chief executive officer of Sinclair, commented: “With this co marketing agreement with such a strong dermatology company in Europe, we are aiming to establish a new class of non-steroidal treatment of atopic dermatitis.”

He added that both Atopiclair and Zarzenda will provide specialists with a new “clinically proven” first-line alternative to steroid treatments.

Last week, Sinclair acquired Ashbourne Pharmaceuticals, a UK-based pharmaceutical sales and marketing company.