HELSINN/BIOVITRUM SIGN LICENSE PACT FOR ALOXI MARKETING.Helsinn and Biovitrum enter a license agreement for Nordic marketing of Aloxi, a drug that prevents nausea and vomiting Nausea and Vomiting Definition Nausea is the sensation of being about to vomit. Vomiting, or emesis, is the expelling of undigested food through the mouth. in cancer patients Helsinn Healthcare SA, Switzerland and Biovitrum AB, Sweden have signed an agreement granting Biovitrum the exclusive license and distribution rights of Aloxi (Palonosetron hydrochloride palonosetron hydrochloride Aloxi Pharmacologic class: Selective serotonin subtype 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist Therapeutic class: Antiemetic Pregnancy risk category B ) in the Nordic territory.Aloxi is a potent and long-lasting antiemetic belonging to the second generation of serotonin serotonin (sĕr'ətō`nĭn), organic compound that was first recognized as a powerful vasoconstrictor occurring in blood serum. It was partially purified, crystallized, and named in 1948, and its structure was deduced a year later. (5-HT3) antagonists antagonists, n muscles that counterbalance agonists during specific movements. opioid Neurology A pain-attenuating peptide that occurs naturally in the brain, which induces analgesia by mimicking endogenous opioids at opioid , the leading class for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy. Aloxi showed a great efficacy during the acute and delayed phase after chemotherapy treatment as compared to other first generation 5-HT3 antagonists. The product is already commercialized in the US, where over three million treatments have been completed successfully. Aloxi is currently on the market in some European countries, as well as in several countries of Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. , where the trade name is Onicit. There is still a medical need for a better prevention of nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy treatments. In 2004 the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN NCCN National Comprehensive Cancer Network NCCN North Carolina Center for Nursing (Raleigh, NC) NCCN Nevada County Community Network ) guidelines indicated Aloxi as the treatment of choice for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting due to moderately emetogenic chemotherapies. "We are delighted to sign this new agreement with Biovitrum and look forward to initiating a successful co-operation for Aloxi in the Nordic territory," said Dr. Riccardo Braglia, Managing Director of Helsinn Healthcare SA. "We are pleased that the patients and the medical community in this region will enjoy the benefits of an innovative antiemetic like Aloxi." "We are pleased to enter this agreement with Helsinn and to be the partner company to launch Aloxi in the Nordic countries," said Mats Pettersson, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Biovitrum. "The drug fits well into our product portfolio, which already contains medicine against adverse effects of chemotherapeutics. We are also very active in the field of 5-HT receptor active compounds in our R&D operations. Aloxi thus fits our strategy very well and we are enthusiastic about the collaboration." About Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV CINV Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting ) CINV is estimated to affect 85% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and can result in a delay or discontinuation dis·con·tin·u·a·tion n. A cessation; a discontinuance. Noun 1. discontinuation - the act of discontinuing or breaking off; an interruption (temporary or permanent) discontinuance of chemotherapy treatments. The supportive care supportive care, n medical and other interventions that attempt to support and make comfortable rather than to cure. area is becoming of paramount importance to help patients deal with adverse events of anticancer therapies. With good supportive care drugs, cancer patients are able to tolerate the anti-cancer treatment to a greater extent, improving their chances of completing their treatment course successfully with a better quality of life. About Aloxi Aloxi is a selective 5-HT3-receptor antagonist antagonist /an·tag·o·nist/ (an-tag´o-nist) 1. a substance that tends to nullify the action of another, as a drug that binds to a cell receptor without eliciting a biological response, blocking binding of substances that could , developed for the prevention of CINV, with a long half-life of 40 hours and at least 30 times higher receptor binding affinity than currently available compounds. Since its availability in USA in September 2003, there are over 3 million successful uses of Aloxi. The product showed to be effective in preventing both acute and delayed CINV in patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapies. For more information, visit http://www.palonosetron.net and http://www.aloxi.com. About Helsinn Healthcare Helsinn Healthcare SA is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with headquarters in Switzerland and is the worldwide licensor of Aloxi. Helsinn's core business is the licensing of pharmaceuticals in niche therapeutic areas. The company's business strategy is to in-license early-stage new chemical entities and complete their development from the performance of pre-clinical/clinical studies and CMC (Common Messaging Calls) A programming interface specified by the XAPIA as the standard messaging API for X.400 and other messaging systems. CMC is intended to provide a common API for applications that want to become mail enabled. 1. development to the attainment of market approvals in strategic markets (U.S. and Europe). Helsinn's products are eventually out-licensed to its marketing partners for distribution. The active pharmaceutical ingredients and the finished dosage forms are manufactured at Helsinn's cGMP facilities and supplied worldwide to its customers. For more information, visit http://www.helsinn.com. About Biovitrum Biovitrum is one of the larger biopharma companies in Europe. With operations in Sweden and in the UK Biovitrum conducts research and develops pharmaceuticals for both broad diseases and conditions that affect smaller patient populations. Biovitrum focuses on drugs for the treatment of obesity, diabetes, inflammation and blood diseases as well as a number of well defined niche indications. Biovitrum develops and produces protein-based drugs on a contractual basis and markets a range of specialist pharmaceuticals primarily in the Nordic countries. Biovitrum has approximately 500 employees. For more information, visit http://www.biovitrum.com. |
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