Takeda ends Daxas co-promotion with MSD; Actos law suits

Japan’s largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharmaceuticals (TYO: 4502) says that it has reached a mutual agreement with US drug giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), which is known as MSD outside the USA and Canada, to terminate their co-promotion agreement for Daxas (roflumilast) in certain European countries and Canada as of December 31, 2011.

MSD will return the rights to Daxas, a once-daily tablet for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), to Takeda in all countries covered by the agreement. Under the terms of the original deal between Merck and then independent Swiss drugmaker Nycomed (The Pharma Letter April 26, 2010), Nycomed received an undisclosed upfront fee from Merck and became eligible for certain payments based on defined regulatory and commercialization milestones for Daxas.

As a result of the significant strengthening of the combined organization following Nycomed’s acquisition by Takeda at the end of September 2011, the Japanese company will now use its own sales organization to market Daxas in the seven territories covered by the original agreement. Further details were not disclosed.