Shire announces licence agreement with Mochida

Shire has announced a licence agreement with Mochida.

The deal will see the Dublin-based company able to develop and sell Lialda, which is used as a therapy for ulcerative colitis.

Approved in over 17 countries, the product is a once-daily oral formulation which is released throughout the colon – the site of inflammation from the condition.

It was first launched in the US in 2007.

Last year, Shire said a study of its drug Vyvanse found the product induced improvements in behaviour, inattention and maths tests scores.

Administered in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), researchers discovered it controlled such symptoms from the first test after 1.5 hours.

The experiment’s results – presented at a national psychiatric meeting in the US – found the drug was still effective 13 hours after the dose.

Speaking at the time, Ann Childress, study investigator and president of the Centre for Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine in Las Vegas, US, said: “These findings are significant because children with ADHD require symptom control that lasts throughout the school day as well as after-school hours.”