Mitsubishi Tanabe expands collaboration with US giant

Japanese drug major Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (TYO: 4508) has announced the strengthening of its collaboration with Janssen, part of US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

The companies have signed a co-promotion agreement for Stelara (ustekinumab) for an indication of Crohn’s disease for which Janssen has filed an application in Japan. Should that be approved, Janssen will distribute the drug while both firms will promote the product.

Since 2002, Mitsubishi Tanabe has distributed an intravenous injection formulation of Janssen’s big-selling inflammatory diseases drug Remicade (infliximab), to which Stelara has a different mechanism of action.