Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s MAA Filing Triggers a $10 Million Milestone Payment to Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

MORRISVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: FURX) today confirmed that Takeda Global Research & Development Centre (Europe) Ltd. received confirmation on the acceptance of the submission of a Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, from the European Medicines Agency for alogliptin, a selective dipeptidyl peptidase IV, or DPP-4, inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

 

Under Furiex’s agreement with Takeda, this acceptance triggers a $10.0 million milestone payment to Furiex. Furiex receives royalty payments from Takeda for the sale of alogliptin products, trade names NESINA® and LIOVEL®, in Japan, and it will receive royalties on sales in Europe, if approved.

“The acceptance of the MAA submission for alogliptin is an important step in expanding this treatment option to a wider patient population,” said June Almenoff, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief medical officer of Furiex.

Added Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D., chairman of Furiex, “From the onset we have believed in the value of alogliptin to patients, and we are pleased with this achievement.”

About Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and has reached epidemic proportions globally. Almost 23 million Americans currently live with the disease. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive and chronic condition, and patients should work with a health care professional to manage and monitor their disease. In addition to diet and exercise, patients often need to take multiple medications to help manage blood glucose. The global health care expenditures to treat and prevent diabetes and its complications were estimated at $376 billion in 2010. By 2030, this number is projected to exceed $490 billion.

About Alogliptin

Alogliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor being investigated in the U.S., as an adjunct to diet and exercise, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 inhibitors address insulin deficiency by slowing the inactivation of incretin hormones GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide). As a result, an increased amount of active incretins enables the pancreas to secrete insulin in a glucose-dependent manner, thereby assisting in the management of blood glucose levels. A New Drug Application for alogliptin was approved in April 2010 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and the therapy is currently available under the brand name NESINA in this market.

About Furiex

Furiex Pharmaceuticals is a drug development collaboration company that uses innovative clinical development design to accelerate and increase value of drug development programs by advancing them through the drug discovery and development process in a cost-efficient manner. Our drug development programs are designed and driven by a core team with extensive drug development experience. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has a strong, diversified product portfolio and pipeline with multiple therapeutic candidates, including two Phase III-ready assets, one compound in Phase III development with a partner and two products on the market. The company's mission is to develop innovative medicines faster and at a lower cost, thereby improving profitability and accelerating time to market while providing life-improving therapies for patients. For more information, visit www.furiex.com.

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although Furiex attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: failure of our partner to successfully obtain regulatory approval to market and sell its product; the demand for our potential products, if and when approved; the risks and expense of continuing the research and development activities of our existing candidates; progress of product candidates in clinical trials as it relates to receiving future milestone payments; time required to gain regulatory approvals; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Furiex, copies of which can be found on our website.

 

Contacts

 

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Media/Analysts/Investors:

Sailash Patel, 919-456-7814

sailash.patel@furiex.com

Back to news