BioAlliance acquires rights to NovaDel spray

French drugmaker BioAlliance Pharmaceuticals has gained the European commercial rights to New Jersey, USA-based NovaDel's ondansetron nasal spray for the treatment of nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as other therapy.

BioAlliance will pay NovaDel a license fee of $3.0 million upon closing. The firm will also receive an approval milestone of $5.0 million and sales-related milestones totalling $19.0 million, as well as royalties on net sales. In return, NovaDel will supply the product for BioAlliance to gain regulatory and pricing approval, then market throughout Europe. The firm expects to file the European dossier in 2009-2011.

Ondansetron is a 5-HT3 antagonist largely used to prevent nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, in both tablet and intravenous treatment. The spray could potentially be the first anti-emetic to be available in Europe in a spray form. Anti-emetics constitute the largest segment of the supportive care market in the EU and the spray formulation may offer a more convenient administration method for patients.