Takeda gains first European approval for lurasidone

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda Pharma (TYO: 4502) says it has been granted approval by Switzerland’s regulator Swissmedic for lurasidone, its once-daily antipsychotic for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia.

This is the first registration in Europe for lurasidone, which was originally developed by fellow Japanese drug major Dainippon Sumitomo Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4506) and is already marketed as Latuda for both schizophrenia and bipolar depression in the USA and Canada by Dainippon's subsidiary Sunovion. The drug was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (The Pharma Letter July 2) and was accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency in October 2012.

Takeda licensed exclusive commercialisation rights to lurasidone for 26 member states of the European, excluding the UK and Norway, as well as Switzerland, Turkey, and Russia (TPL April 1, 2011).