London, 7 August 2014, 13:00 BST: Norgine B.V. today announced that it entered into a license agreement with Access Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop and commercialise the medical device, MUGARD® in Europe for the prevention and management of the lesions and symptoms of oral mucositis. Oral mucositis is a common side effect of cancer treatments with approximately 1.6 million new cases each year in Europe.[i]
Under the terms of the agreement, Norgine will assume full responsibility for MUGARD®’s development, manufacturing, registration, distribution and commercialisation in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Norgine anticipates launching MUGARD® in 2015.
Peter Stein, CEO at Norgine said: “This new partnership with Access Pharmaceuticals Inc. represents an excellent opportunity to ensure that cancer patients affected by oral mucositis can access MUGARD®, to help manage this condition for which there are limited effective treatment options. This collaboration is further evidence of Norgine’s commitment to acquire speciality pharmaceutical products to strengthen its portfolio.”
Commenting on the news, Jeffrey Davis, CEO of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stated, “Access is excited to announce this partnership with Norgine, a leading European specialty company, as it further validates our global MUGARD® commercial strategy. He added: “With product offerings in complementary therapeutic areas and an established presence in the cancer supportive care space, Norgine is an ideal partner for us and we believe this partnership will drive commercial adoption in Europe and facilitate access of a proven treatment option to help protect patients from oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect.”
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Media Contacts
Isabelle Jouin, Norgine Corporate Communications, +44 (0)1895453643
Charlotte Andrews, Norgine Corporate Communications, +44 (0)1895453669
About MUGARD®
MUGARD® Muco-Adhesive Oral Rinse is a non-sterile slightly viscous liquid, formulated to adhere to the mucosal surface of the mouth and thereby forms a soothing, protective layer.
About Norgine
Norgine is a leading independent European specialty pharmaceutical company that has been established for over 100 years and has a presence in all major European markets. In 2013, Norgine’s total revenue was €274 million and the company employs over 1,000 people.
Norgine’s focus is the development and marketing of pharmaceutical products that address significant unmet clinical needs in therapeutic areas such as gastroenterology, hepatology, critical and supportive care. Norgine owns a manufacturing and development site in Hengoed, UK and a manufacturing site in Dreux, France. For more information, please visit www.norgine.com.
NORGINE and the sail logo are trademarks of the Norgine group of companies.
About of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes proprietary products for the treatment and supportive care of cancer patients. Access developed MuGard and is developing multiple follow-on products. Access also has other advanced drug delivery technologies including CobaCyte™-mediated targeted delivery and CobOral-oral drug delivery, its proprietary nanopolymer delivery technology based on the natural vitamin B12 uptake mechanism. For additional information on Access Pharmaceuticals, please visit our website at www.accesspharma.com.
MUGARD is a registered trademark of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., licensed to the Norgine group of companies.
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