Medicines Co enters deal with Ferrer

USA-based The Medicines Company has entered a collaboration with Spain'sGrupo Ferrer Internacional for the registration, distribution and promotion of its anticoagulant Angiomax (bivalirudin) in Spain, Portugal and Greece, as well as 18 Latin American markets, including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The US firm has been selling the product on the domestic market since January of this year.

TMC points out that ischemic heart disease, for which Angiomax is used, is a leading cause of mortality among the approximately 400 million people in the markets covered by the collaboration. The growing use of angioplasty in these populations provides a significant opportunity for Angiomax, which is a synthetic product, says TMC, to replace heparin (a natural product derived from cow lungs or pig intestines), as animal-derived products are currently under substantial scrutiny in both Europe and Latin America.

According to the US firm, under the terms of the deal, Ferrer will manage and fund all regulatory filings in Latin America, while TMC will be responsible for those in the European territories covered by the agreement, with potential assistance from Ferrer. Once regulatory approval is obtained, the Spanish firm will exclusively distribute and market Angiomax in the specified areas in Latin America and Europe. TMC will supply the product to Ferrer and the two firms will share sales revenues in the specified territories equally. Ferrer has committed to achieving escalating minimum sales of Angiomax.