CHEPLAPHARM announced that it has acquired a Bristol Myers Squibb product portfolio that encompasses three chemotherapeutical medicinal products, including the well-known brands Taxol®, Hydrea®/Litalir®/Droxia® and Paraplatin®. These products are marketed worldwide with a focus on Asian markets for up to the past 50 years and have longstanding recognition by both prescribers and patients.
All three products are mature, well-established and supported by major clinical studies, publications, and listings on the World Health Oraganization’s (WHO) list of essential medicines. Furthermore, in France, hydroxyurea is mentioned on the reputable French MITM (medicines of major therapeutic interest) list, the second largest market from a sales perspective for that product.
Hydroxyurea or hydroxycarbamide, marketed under the main brand Hydrea®, is an orally available drug used to treat chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML), carcinoma of the cervix, primary squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, and polycythaemia vera. In the U.S., it is marketed as Droxia®, where it is also indicated for the reduction in the frequency of painful vaso-occlusive events in the treatment of sickle cell anaemia.
Paclitaxel injection, marketed under the brand name Taxol®, is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs and is indicated for the treatment of ovarian cancer, breast carcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and gastric carcinoma. It is frequently used as first-line therapy option, especially in breast cancer.
Carboplatin (Paraplatin®) is available as an injection and indicated for the treatment of ovarian cancer, small cell and non-small cell lung carcinoma, bladder and cervix carcinoma. Although not necessarily a first-line therapeutic, carboplatin is one of the common and well-established drugs in cancer treatment.
“We have already built up a very well diversified portfolio over the last years with a sound presence in the therapeutic area of oncology with brands such as Etopophos®, Vesanoid®, Suprefact® or Anandron®. By being able to draw on existing structures and processes, this oncology portfolio acquired from Bristol Myers Squibb is now the perfect complement”, said Edeltraud Lafer, Co-CEO of CHEPLAPHARM.
As of today, over 30 percent of CHEPLAPHARM’s portfolio consists of products on the WHO’s list of essential medicines.
The transaction includes product registrations, trademarks, certain contracts and inventories.