SpePharm AG Wins Case Against Eisai Inc. in United States District Court for District of Delaware

PR80405

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

SpePharm AG, a subsidiary of Norgine B.V., announced that the United States

District Court for the District of Delaware ruled on 4th September 2019 in

favour of SpePharm in its proceeding against Eisai Inc., upholding SpePharm's

licensed rights for SALAGEN(R) (pilocarpine hydrochloride) through April 2026.

Judge Richard Andrews upheld SpePharm's position, finding that SpePharm

properly exercised its option to extend its license agreement in 49 countries.

Eisai Inc. purported to give notice of its intent to terminate SpePharm AG's

exclusive licensed rights for SALAGEN, a drug used to treat dry mouth caused by

radiation therapy for head and neck cancer and to treat dry mouth and dry eyes

in individuals with Sjögren's syndrome, and had entered into an agreement to

sell global rights to SALAGEN to Advanz Pharma Corp. The Court's decision

confirms that SpePharm retains its rights in 49 countries in Europe and the

Commonwealth of Independent States through April 2026.

Speaking on behalf of SpePharm, Peter Stein (CEO of Norgine) said, "We are

gratified that the Court speedily agreed with SpePharm's position and upheld

SpePharm's rights to continue commercialising SALAGEN for the benefit of

patients. We are disappointed that we had to resort to legal action against

Eisai, however, SpePharm will vigorously defend its rights through all

appropriate means."

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Notes to editors:

About SpePharm

SpePharm AG is an independent unit within the Norgine group of companies and is

based in Werftestrasse in Lucerne.

Norgine is a leading European specialist pharmaceutical company that has been

bringing transformative medicines to patients for over a century. Across the

globe in 2018, Norgine is proud to have helped 23 million patients and

generated €395 million in net product sales to reinvest in medicines for the

future, a growth of 15% over 2017.

We understand the complexities of the European healthcare systems and have a

direct presence in 14 European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

We also have a strong global network of partnerships in non-Norgine markets.

We are a flexible and fully integrated pharmaceutical business, with

manufacturing (Hengoed, Wales and Dreux, France), third party supply networks

and significant product development capabilities, in addition to our sales and

marketing infrastructure. This enables us to acquire, develop and commercialise

specialist and innovative products that make a real difference to the lives of

patients around the world.

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Source: Norgine B.V.