Wyeth and King to part ways over Altace

Wyeth has agreed to return full marketing responsibility for Altace, the ACE inhibitor, to King Pharmaceuticals, with which it collaborated to produce the drug.

The two companies described their partnership as a tremendous success, but the details of the original deal were formed when King was a smaller company that relied on Wyeth to provide marketing expertise. King now has a sufficiently large marketing division to market the product on its own.

From January 2007, King will assume sole marketing responsibilities, while Wyeth will receive a fee from King until 2010. The two companies describe the arrangement as “mutually beneficial”.

Joseph M Mahady, president of the Americas and global businesses of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, stated: “Wyeth benefits from this current restructuring as we expect to continue to receive an attractive revenue stream from Altace and increase our flexibility to prepare for the launch of several new products.”

“Together we developed Altace into one of the most recognised cardiovascular brands in the US. We look forward to the continued success of the Altace brand,” he added.

Mr Mahady said Wyeth had submitted four products for approval with the FDA, with an additional two or three products to be filed between now and 2007.

Wyeth employs over 2,000 people in the UK and ranks as one of the top five pharmaceutical providers to the NHS. Altace is not marketed in the UK, but its active ingredient, rampiril, is used in other drugs, such as Sanofi-Aventis’ Tritace.

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