Chiesi and Novartis sign licensing accord

Italian drugmaker Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA and Swiss pharmaceutical major Novartis have signed an international licensing and supply agreement for the former's Formoterol Modulite, an HFA-based pressurized metered-dose inhaler product.

Under the terms of the deal, Novartis gains semi-exclusive promotion, sales and distribution rights for the product, following its approval, in Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Republic of South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

The two groups entered into a commercialization accord last year, under which the Italian firm supplies Novartis with the finished product enabling each company to launch a separate brand of this new formoterol formulation, already cleared for use in Italy and Germany (Marketletters passim).