Actelion licenses Tracleer to Neopharm in Israel

Switzerland's Actelion has licensed rights in Israel to its drug forpulmonary artery hypertension, Tracleer (bosentan), to local firm Neopharm. The latter company will be responsible for the registration, marketing and securing of reimbursement of Tracleer in Israel, with Actelion supplying the packaged product.

Neopharm has already registered and commercialized a number of important new drugs in Israel, including Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin), Immunex' Enbrel (etanercept) and Wyeth-Ayerst's Tazocin (tazobactam).

Tracleer was launched in its first market earlier this month as the first orally-active treatment for PAH, and should also be introduced in Canada before the end of the year (Marketletter December 10).