Sanofi gives up certain regional rights to Stendra

US drugmaker Vivus (Nasdaq: VVUS) says it reached an agreement with Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) to return the commercial rights for Stendra (avanafil) in Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Russia.

Sanofi gained rights to erectile dysfunction drug Stendra in the above territories in December 2013 in deal that provided Vivus up to $61 million in upfront payments, regulatory and sales milestones. The French pharma major has previously produced avanafil for Vivus. In 2016, Endo International also pulled out of a USA and Canada marketing deal for the drug.

As part of the agreement, Sanofi will provide transition services to avoid adverse impacts to the regulatory approval applications in process, specifically in Russia and certain Middle East countries. Vivus shares were down over 2% at $1.08 by mid-morning on Monday.