Helsinn and Biovitrum agree Aloxi distribution deal

Sweden's Biovitrum AB and Swiss drugmaker Helsinn Healthcare SA say they have entered into an exclusive licensing deal covering the distribution, in the Nordic region, of the latter's drug, Aloxi (palonosetron HCl), used for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

The drug, which is already commercialized in the USA selling three million treatments a year, is a long-lasting antiemetic belonging to the second generation of seratonin anatogonists. The product is also available in some European countries and on several Latin American markets, where it is sold under the trade name Onicit.