Hospira licenses oncology product Atir from Kiadis Pharma

Hospira has agreed a licensing deal with Kiadis Pharma that will allow it to distribute the oncology-focused haematology product Atir in Europe and Asia.

The agreement grants Hospira exclusive marketing rights in these territories for Atir, a personalised system that allows blood cancer patients to receive allogeneic bone marrow transplants from mismatched family members.

Under the terms of the deal, Hospira will offer Kiadis an upfront payment and partial funding for ongoing clinical trials of Atir, with further milestone fees to be payable once the product has been successfully commercialised.

Andrew Robbins, vice-president of corporate development and proprietary pharmaceutical marketing at Hospira, said the company is excited about Atir's potentially lifesaving properties.

"Atir will fit nicely within our strong portfolio of oncology products, including biosimilars Nivestim and Retacrit, in Europe and Asia," he added.

In November 2010, the company announced the appointment of Francois Dubois to the newly-created role of senior vice-president for quality.