Helsinn grants anamorelin rights to Stendhal for Latin American countries

Privately-held Swiss pharmaceutical group Helsinn has granted Latin American specialty company Stendhal exclusive commercialization rights for Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and most of Central American countries, to its novel ghrelin receptor agonist, anamorelin, a new first-in-class, once daily drug being developed for the treatment of cachexia-anorexia in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a serious multifactorial disorder which involves muscle wasting, metabolic impairment and loss of appetite and commonly affects people with advanced cancer.

"This is the first step towards what we believe will be a long and fruitful relationship between two companies sharing the same values," said Helsinn chief executive Riccardo Braglia, adding: "With this new partnership we are further expanding our anamorelin franchise in America and we are achieving this through Stendhal and its really top quality team."

Under the terms of the agreement, Helsinn will retain all development activities (CMC, preclinical and clinical) and supply of anamorelin for commercial use. Stendhal will be responsible for regulatory/clinical development and commercial activities within their territory.