FAES to launch second ibandronate brand

Spanish drugmaker FAES Farma has signed an agreement with Swiss drug major Roche and UK-based pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline for the commercialization of a second brand of ibandronic acid in Spain. At present, the product is sold in several countries for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

In Spain, the product began its commercialization last January, under the brand Bonviva, being jointly promoted by Roche and GSK, and the second ibandronic acid brand, named Bondenza, will launch once all administrative procedures by the relevant authorities are concluded.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a progressive skeletal disease which causes desmineralization of bone mass, increasing the risk of fractures. In Spain, approximately 26% of the population older than 50 is affected by this disease. The market of drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis in Spain reaches 200.0 million euros ($268.1 million) per year.