Shire to pay AnorMED following UK approval of Fosrenol

Shire is to pay AnorMED, a Canadian-based biopharmaceutical company, $3 million (1.6 million pounds), after Fosrenol received licensing approval in the UK.

The patents for Fosrenol, a treatment for high blood phosphate levels commonly seen in kidney dialysis patients, were sold to Shire in 2004 for $18 million, depending on the US approval of the drug, as well as $7 million for approval in “relevant” European countries and $6 million for Japan.

So far, AnorMed has earned $19 million from Shire for approvals of Fosrenol, having also received $3 million last week for the German approval of the drug.

Following a recent clinical study, Shire’s vice-president of global medical affairs, Dr Raymond Pratt, remarked that the company was “very proud” of Fosrenol, adding that it had achieved a high level of patient satisfaction.

In addition, the positive results of the study added “further weight” to the “extensive” data showing that Fosrenol is an effective phosphate binder, said Dr Alastair Hutchison, one of the study’s lead investigators.

The treatment showed allowed effective control of phosphate levels with “as few as” three tablets a day, which is important because poor patient adherence to phosphate control therapies is a common problem for hyperphosphataemia, Dr Rajnish Mehrotra claimed.

Hyperphosphataemia can cause serious long-term health risks, including osteodystrophy and cardiovascular disease.