Schering-Plough in-licenses OTC heartburn drug

Schering-Plough has announced it has in-licensed an over-the-counter (OTC) therapy for heartburn and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

For an upfront fee of $15 million (eight million pounds), Schering-Plough has acquired the rights to market Zegerid immediate-release omeprazole for heartburn-related symptoms.

Additionally, Schering-Plough may pay Santarus, the licence holder, a further $65 million on reaching regulatory and sales milestones, as well as royalty payments, with some revenues going towards the University of Missouri under an existing agreement between Santarus and the University.

Gerald T Proehl, Santarus’ president and chief executive officer, remarked: “We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Schering-Plough, with its longstanding leadership position of successfully commercialising major OTC brands.”

“We believe the development of Zegerid products appropriate for the OTC market will provide a healthcare benefit to consumers,” he added.

Omeprazole was originally marketed by AstraZeneca as Losec and once became the world’s biggest-selling prescription drug during the early 1990s. The drug has become the subject of a number of patent expiration challenges.