Meda acquires global rights to two drugs from Orexo

Meda has announced that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide commercialisation rights to two patented drugs from Orexo currently in the later stages of clinical development.

The first of these drugs is Sublinox (zolpidem), a treatment for insomnia, which uses a unique and patented sublingual tablet formulation for effective and speedy absorption by the body, with a recent phase III clinical trial confirming the faster onset of the drug compared to other zolpidem treatments.

OX-NLA (cetirizin) a patented antihistamine nasal spray incorporates liposomes to offer new features and is being explored as a potential treatment for both allergic and non-allergic rhinitis and is currently entering phase III of clinical development.

Anders Lonner, chief executive officer of Meda, said: “I’m really glad that two Swedish based pharma companies managed to secure this deal.

“We strengthen Medas pipeline and add another significant marketing opportunity in the US in the near term with Sublinox.”

Torbhorn Bjerke, president and chief executive officer of Orexo claimed that the deal was a landmark event for the company, hailing Meda as an excellent marketing partners for its products.

In February 2008, Meda published its year-end report for 2007, reporting a 55 per cent increase in net sales to 8,144.6 million Swedish kroner (659.3 million pounds).