Print(PDF/66KB) Jul. 09, 2015 Licensing

Eli Lilly Japan and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma signed a sales collaboration agreement for a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist "Trulicity Subcutaneous Injection 0.75 mg Ateos"

July 9, 2015 - Eli Lilly Japan K.K. (Head Office: Kobe City, Hyogo, President and Representative Director: Patrik Jonsson, hereinafter called "Eli Lilly Japan") and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.(Head Office: Osaka City, Osaka, Representative Director, President and CEO: Masayo Tada, hereinafter called "Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma") today announced that the two companies signed a sales collaboration agreement for a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist "Trulicity® Subcutaneous Injection 0.75 mg Ateos®" (hereinafter called "Trulicity"), for which Eli Lilly Japan obtained a manufacturing/marketing license as a drug indicated for type 2 diabetes, in Japan.

Based on this agreement, Eli Lilly Japan retains a manufacturing/marketing license for Trulicity and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma takes responsibility for sales/distribution of the drug. Eli Lilly Japan and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma will conduct activities to provide healthcare professionals with information regarding Trulicity.

Commenting on the agreement signed this time, Kadir Tepebasi, Senior Director, Diabetes/GHD Business Unit of Eli Lilly Japan, says, "We are very excited for this sales collaboration program to form a strong team to market Trulicity. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has many years of experience in marketing pharmaceutical products in Japan and a strong relationship of mutual trust with our stakeholders. We are very pleased with being able to meet unmet medical needs of patients with Type 2 diabetes with this partnership to help them to reach their treatment goals and improve their outcomes."

Also, Susumu Nakajima, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma's Senior Executive Officer, Executive Director, Sales & Marketing says, "We are pleased with having been able to sign the Trulicity sales collaboration agreement. Our company positions the diabetes area as one of the important areas in domestic sales and is selling multiple type 2 diabetes drugs with different action mechanisms. With the sales collaboration agreement signed this time, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist joined our product lineup that is expected to make a further contribution to the treatment of type 2 diabetes by expanding treatment options for patients.

Eli Lilly Japan and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma have a plan to make a further contribution to the treatment of type 2 diabetes by building a close cooperative relationship through the sales collaboration of Trulicity.

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About "Trulicity® Subcutaneous Injection 0.75 mg Ateos®"
Trulicity is a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that acts on the GLP-1 receptor in the way similar to that of the GLP-1, a gastrointestinal hormone. The product therefore facilitates insulin secretion when the blood sugar level increases after meal, depending on the blood sugar level in the body.
Trulicity is provided as a disposable, pen-type auto-injector. Its needle is attached to the device beforehand, and pressing the injection button triggers automatic insertion of the needle under the skin to deliver a dose of the prefilled drug solution. Once the delivery is completed, the needle automatically goes back inside the device.
Trulicity's efficacy and safety were confirmed in 3 studies conducted in Japan: In the study of a monotherapy, Trulicity 0.75 mg showed superiority to placebo and non-inferiority to liraglutide. Also, in the study of a combined therapy with a sulfonylurea medicine and/or a biguanide medicine, Trulicity 0.75 mg showed non-inferiority and superiority to insulin glargine. Furthermore, in the long-term administration study of an open-label combined therapy, the drug's safety until Week 52 was confirmed.

  • ・Date of manufacturing/marketing approval: July 3, 2015
  • ・Manufacturing and marketing by: Eli Lilly Japan K.K.
  • ・Sales and distribution by: Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd.

About Eli Lilly Japan
Eli Lilly Japan K.K. is a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company and celebrating the 40th anniversary of its foundation this year. It contributes to medical treatment in Japan through the, development, manufacture, import and sale of innovative pharmaceutical products that allow people to live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Lilly provides therapeutic agents for schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), cancer (non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, urothelial carcinoma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and malignant lymphoma), diabetes mellitus, failure to thrive, osteoporosis, etc. Lilly is also developing diagnostic agents and therapeutic agents for Alzheimer-type dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, hypercholesterolemia, etc. For more detail, please visit our website. (URL:http://www.lilly.co.jp)

About Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma
Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma defines its corporate mission as "to broadly contribute to society through value creation based on innovative research and development activities for the betterment of healthcare and fuller lives of people worldwide". By pouring all our efforts into the research and development of new drugs, we aim to provide innovative and effective pharmaceutical solutions to people not only in Japan but also around the world in order to realize our corporate mission. We have positioned Cardiovascular/Diabetes, Psychiatry & Neurology, and Speciality areas as our focus marketing areas in Japan. For more detail, please visit our website. (URL:https://www.sumitomo-pharma.com)

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