Grunenthal strengthens pain product portfolio with European rights to etoricoxib

Family-owned German drugmaker Grunenthal Group today announced the signing of an exclusive promotion and distribution agreement with MSD, the non-North America trading name for US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK), for the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) etoricoxib.

This agreement covers Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Ireland and Austria. Etoricoxib is a patent-protected, selective COX-2 inhibitor, marketed under the brand name Arcoxia in these markets.

“Arcoxia is a valuable addition to Grunenthal’s product portfolio and strongly contributes to further strengthening our position as a leading player in pain therapy. By including Arcoxia into our portfolio in select countries, Grunenthal now also offers a valuable therapy option for the treatment of pain with an inflammatory component, which therefore complements our other existing innovative therapy options for the treatment of nociceptive and mixed nociceptive-neuropathic pain,” said Alberto Grua, chief commercial officer Europe, Australia and North America of Grunenthal-Group.