PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has acquired Marplan® (isocarboxazid) from Oxford Pharmaceuticals. Marplan® is a highly effective MAOI drug for patients who suffer the enduring and debilitating symptoms of depression and have not responded to other antidepressant drugs. Marplan® works differently than commonly-known ‘SSRI drugs’ because it directly blocks the action of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase. Marplan®, which was first introduced by Roche Pharmaceuticals in the early 1960’s, has an established history of safety and efficacy. Validus has acquired Marplan® and will keep this important antidepressant available on the market for the thousands of patients and doctors who rely on its efficacy to control difficult-to-treat depression.
Physicians have turned to Marplan® therapy when early treatments with SSRIs and other antidepressant drugs failed to control their patients’ severe symptoms of depression and also as a safe and effective alternative treatment prior to electro-convulsive therapy.
“Marplan® is an antidepressant with a distinguished track-record in a very difficult-to-treat patient population,” said James Hunter, Validus Pharmaceuticals’ President and CEO. “Its widely recognized efficacy and safety provide the ideal platform for our entry into the psychiatric marketplace,” he added. Validus plans to begin promoting Marplan® tablets with a portfolio of customer care services for consumers and health professionals at the American Psychiatric Association Meeting beginning May 19, 2007 in San Diego.
About Validus Pharmaceuticals
Validus Pharmaceuticals is a full service pharmaceutical company, based in Parsippany, NJ. Validus is a portfolio investment of Konanda Pharma Partners, a private equity firm in New York City. Validus’ business plan calls for the marketing and support of Marplan® as well as the acquisition and marketing of additional new or underutilized products that have important future potential in the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Please log on to the Validus / Marplan® website http://www.marplan.com for additional information.
About Konanda Pharma Partners
Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a portfolio investment of Konanda Pharma Partners, an investment fund focused on acquiring mature branded drugs and building portfolio companies around such products. See http://www.konanda.com for additional information about the Fund’s principals and investment objectives.
Please go to the Marplan website http://www.marplan.com for Full Prescribing Information, including BOXED WARNINGS regarding increased risk of suicidality in children and adolescents. MAO-inhibitors are contraindicated with certain drugs, and potential hypertensive crises may occur with tyramine containing foods. As with all antidepressants, patients should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior, especially during the initial few months of therapy.
Source: Validus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
