Astellas renews Japanese co-promotion accord for Micardis with Boehringer Ingelheim

Japanese drug major Astellas says it has extended its co-promotion agreement ' originally signed in December 2002 - for the angiotensin II receptor blocker antihypertensive Micardis (telmisartan) with its originator, Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, for a further four years.

The current contract between the two companies runs through December 2012, with Tokyo-based Astellas now able to continue selling Micardis, which is produced by Boehringer's Japanese subsidiary, until December 2016. For the fiscal year ended March 31, Astellas recorded Micardis sales of 71.6 billion yen ($791 million). As well as the single compound product, Micombi, a combination of telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide was launched on June 2009.

Development for DIC dropped