Vifor gets certain rights to Helsinn's netupitant-palonosetron

Privately-held Helsinn Healthcare and fellow Switzerland-based Vifor Pharma, part of the Galenica group (SIX: GALN), have entered into an exclusive license and distribution agreement for netupitant-palonosetron fixed dose combination (NEPA), a Helsinn product currently in the development stage for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

Under the agreement, Vifor Pharma will have rights to distribute the product in Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Vifor Pharma will also assume responsibility for registering the product in Switzerland.

The agreement refers to the fixed dose combination of netupitant, a novel NK1receptor antagonist, and palonosetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist that is already marketed in the main markets worldwide under the trade names Aloxi, Onicit and Paloxi, through Helsinn's network of partners, including Vifor Pharma in Switzerland, Benelux and France. Netupitant-palonosetron fixed dose combination is still in the development phase, with the oral form expected to have phase III clinical results available soon.