BRIEF—Salix sales force to begin promoting Lucemyra in USA

US WorldMeds and Salix Pharmaceuticals, a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, have entered into an exclusive agreement to co-promote US WorldMeds' Lucemyra (lofexidine).

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Lucemyra on May 16, 2018, as the first and only non-opioid medication for the mitigation of withdrawal symptoms to facilitate abrupt discontinuation of opioids in adults.

Lucemyra is expected to be commercially available in th 0e United States in August.

Opioid withdrawal is an often-overlooked medical challenge in the current opioid epidemic, which has reached dangerous levels.

More than 115 people in the USA die each day after overdosing on opioid-based products, according to a 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Partnering with Salix, which has a strong commercial presence in primary care and pain management, will provide greater momentum and broader reach for the launch and uptake of Lucemyra – including the critical need for education around opioid withdrawal and the appropriate use of Lucemyra," said P Breckinridge Jones, chief executive of US WorldMeds, adding: "We look forward to making Lucemyra available to health care providers and their patients who urgently need help discontinuing opioid use."