<div><strong>C.H. Unnikrishnan</strong></div><div> </div><div>Research-focused Indian generic drug maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said on Friday (23 October) that its European subsidiary -- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd -- has entered into a strategic drug development and licensing agreement with Polish drug maker Celon Pharma. The deal is specifically to develop and market a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s branded respiratory inhaler product Seretide Accuhaler. </div><div> </div><div>GSK's branded inhaler with a combination of drugs such as fluticasone and salmeterol for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most prescribed pharma brands in the European market. Seretide is among the top 3 pharmaceutical brands in Europe with sales of $2.24 billion for the financial year ended December 2014, according to pharma market researcher IMS.Health. </div><div> </div><div>As per the terms of the agreement, Glenmark has obtained semi-exclusive marketing and distribution rights of the generic product, to be developed through the deal, across 15 European countries including UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Romania among others. While, Celon shall receive an upfront payment; followed by certain milestone payments during various stages of the product’s development from Glenmark, including royalties on sales.</div><div> </div><div>The distribution agreement was concluded for a period of 10 years, with an option of a two-year extension. </div><div> </div><div>“The deal reinforces Glenmark’s growing capabilities in the respiratory segment and is a significant step forward towards building a strong respiratory franchise in Europe," said Glenmark chairman Glenn Saldanha. </div><div> </div><div>"We are pleased to collaborate with Celon given their established track record with this inhaler product in Europe,” he added.</div><div> </div><div>According to Celon Pharma CEO Maciej Wieczorek, Celon has been investing heavily in developing technologies for inhalation drugs for sometime now. </div><div> </div><div>"This agreement is yet another proof that the direction we have chosen is correct. The common experiences of both companies in the area of manufacturing, commercialisation and distribution of inhaled drugs will translate into greater availability of combination therapy in a DPI inhaler in many European countries,” Wieczorek said.</div><div> </div><div>Celon, which has two research laboratories and a couple of manufacturing units located near Warsaw, currently employs some 200 people including 50 scientists. While Glenmark, which has significant presence in branded and generic formulations across emerging economies including India, US and Europe, is also focused on the discovery of new molecules both new chemical entities( NCE) and new biological entities (NBE). It has several molecules in various stages of clinical development, mainly in the areas of inflammation, pain and oncology. </div>
