Lundbeck in-licences primary insomnia treatment

Lundbeck has announced that it has in-licensed the exclusive rights in major European markets for primary insomnia treatment Circadin from Neurim Pharmaceuticals.

Under the term of the agreement, Lundbeck will pay Neurim an initial licensing fee, in addition to royalties dependent on sales revenue, while Neurim will be responsible for the manufacturing of the compound.

The compound was approved by the European Commission in June 2007 as a monotherapy for the treatment of primary insomnia in patients aged over-55 in the short-term, with this approval based on positive clinical studies showing improvements in sleep induction, sleep quality and day-time functioning.

Lundbeck forecasts a 2008 launch for the drug.

Stig Lokke Pedersen, executive vice-president and head of commercial operations at Lundbeck, noted that Circadin has shown an innovative mechanism for treating poor sleep compared to all other compounds currently on the market.

“Circadin mimics the physiological profile of the body’s own melatonin secretion and will be a very valuable alternative to traditional sedative hypnotics, which share a number of drawbacks, such as dependency and residual drowsiness,” he said.

In March 2007, Lundbeck announced the decision, taken with Merck, Sharp and Dohme, to terminate the companies’ phase III development programme for gaboxadol as a treatment for insomnia following the publication of clinical trial data.