Grünenthal changes partner for US opioid drug marketing

5 December 2017

German family-owned drugmaker Grünenthal has decided to end its partnership with US firm Depomed (Nasdaq: DEPO) for the marketing of its opioid pain management product Nucynta (tapentadol), saying that, in recent months, the US company has struggled to grow the drug.

Nucynta and Nucynta ER, for which Depomed acquired US right from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) in 2015 as part of a $1.05 billion deal, will instead by commercialized in the US territory by Collegium Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: COLL) from 2018 onwards. Collegium’s shares gained 9.2% to $18.50 in after-hours trading last night.

Last year, Depomed prevailed in a patent challenge on Nucynta from three generic drugmakers, which is expected to provide market exclusivity until December 2025 for Nucynta ER and Nucynta oral solution.

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