Amgen and Astellas link up on drugs for unmet medical needs in Japan

World leading independent biotech firm Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) has joined forces with Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) in a strategic alliance to provide new medicines to help address serious unmet medical needs of Japanese patients. No financial terms of the accord were revealed.

The alliance leverages the complementary capabilities of both companies through an innovative business model that combines Amgen's pipeline candidates with Astellas' deep knowledge of Japanese patient and physician needs, long-term commercial and regulatory experience, and strong presence as a leading company in Japan.

The first element of the alliance is a long-term collaboration between the two companies that will focus on the co-development and co-commercialization in Japan of five Amgen pipeline medicines. The five medicines, which include four biologics and one small molecule, are focused on the treatment of cardiovascular and bone diseases and cancer. The pipeline medicines range from early to late stages of development in Japan, with the first potential commercial launch expected as early as 2016.