Mochida Pharma and Duchesnay sign partnership

Japan’s Mochida Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4534) and Canada-based Duchesnay have entered into a license agreement to provide access to Bonjesta, a combination of two active ingredients: doxylamine succinate (an antihistamine) and pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6).

Under this agreement, financial terms of which are not disclosed, the companies will collaborate closely with the objective of making this product available for women in Japan, with Mochida conducting the necessary research activities required to obtain regulatory approval from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA).

Bonjesta is a formulation developed by Duchesnay to manage nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), a common condition affecting more than half of Japanese pregnant women for which there are no approved medications in Japan. Recently, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan has called for companies to develop this product following a request from the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology to address the issue of “drug loss,” a situation where drugs approved in Europe and the United States are not developed in Japan.