Novel treatment for inflammatory related diseases provides a significant alternative to other pharmaceutical therapies
Britannia Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (UK) have signed an agreement for Britannia to manage the distribution of Otsuka's novel treatment for autoimmune diseases, Adacolumn, in the United Kingdom.
Britannia will provide Otsuka with sales professionals, sales management, medical information, financing functions and product distribution in the UK.
Otsuka will continue to provide marketing, clinical trial, and strategic planning resources for the product in the UK.
"We are pleased to be working with Britannia to raise the profile of Adacolumn among medical professionals and patients in the UK," said Grant Geddes, managing director of Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (UK).
"Britannia's technical and commercial expertise with novel treatments makes it an ideal partner for this initiative".
The Adacolumn is an innovative apheresis device that works by selectively removing leukocytes from the blood while leaving red blood cells and other blood components largely unaffected (apheresis refers to the medical technique where blood is taken from the body and specific constituents are removed before the blood is returned).
During inflammation, leukocytes cause damage by releasing inflammatory substances that damage the affected inflamed area.
Therefore, by reducing the number of activated leukocytes in blood, Adacolumn protects against further tissue inflammation and associated symptoms.
Adacolumn is an established apheresis system that has been used in thousands of people in Europe and Japan for several years.
The Adacolumn is CE marked for use in the UK for the indications of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Behcet's disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Currently, Adacolumn is used in Japan for ulcerative colitis, and across Europe for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Behcet's disease.
"All of us at Britannia are delighted to be working with Otsuka to bring Adacolumn to patients in the UK," said Max Noble, managing director of Britannia Pharmaceuticals.
"This treatment has the potential to help change the lives of the millions of patients who suffer from debilitating autoimmune conditions".
Treatments for severe autoimmune conditions (such as anti-TNF drugs) represent a large and growing global market, estimated to reach $10 billion by 2008.
