Allergan licenses Kyorin's gatifloxacin

Kyorin Pharmaceutical has granted Allergan a license to develop andcommercialize gatifloxacin for the treatment of ocular infections outside Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan. The eye drops will be based on Kyorin's oral and injectable antibiotic, which is marketed in the USA by Bristol-Myers Squibb under the brand name Tequin for the treatment of a broad spectrum of infections, including respiratory and urinary tract infections. The European development and marketing rights for the oral and injectable formulations were licensed to Grunenthal.

Kyorin will receive unspecified fees, including upfront, milestone and royalty payments. Allergan will also offer one of its drug candidates to Kyorin for development and marketing in Japan.

The ocular formulation of gatifloxacin is currently in Phase III clinical trials in the USA, according to Allergan. The product is being developed in Japan by Senju Pharmaceutical, an affiliate of Takeda Chemical. A spokesman for Kyorin said that the worldwide market for antibiotic-based eye drops was worth $450 million in 1997.