Kyowa Hakko licenses Parkinson’s treatment from Britannia Pharmaceuticals

Japan-based drug company Kyowa Hakko is to licence a self-injectable Parkinson’s treatment from British firm Britannia Pharmaceuticals.

The company will be allowed to develop a formulation of apomorphine for sufferers of the disease in Japan and other Asian countries, and will apply for marketing authorisation. Britannia will receive payments upfront and following various milestones.

Kyowo Hakko currently has its own Parkinson’s treatment agent ? KW-6002 ? which is undergoing phase III clinical trials in the EU and USA, as well as phase II trials in its native Japan.

“The apomorphine product in-licensed from Britannia will broaden Kyowa Hakko’s lineup of therapeutic agents for Parkinson’s disease so that Kyowa Hakko can make a further contribution to the treatment of central nervous system diseases,” the company said in a statement.

Apomorphine relieves Parkinson’s symptoms by binding with dopamine receptors in nerve cells. The self-injectable form has already been approved in the UK and USA for sufferers of Parkinson’s that do not effectively react to other drugs such as levodopa.

Kyowa Hakko reported in January that profits had risen by 4.2 per cent for the last nine months of 2005.

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