Solvay licenses Omacor from Pronova Biocare

Belgium's Solvay Pharmaceuticals has expanded its cardiovascular drugfranchise with the licensing of Omacor (concentrated omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids), a product for secondary prevention in patients suffering an acute myocardial infarction, from Norway's Pronova Biocare. The drug is also indicated as a treatment for hypertriglyceridemia.

Solvay gains rights to the product in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In trials, Omacor has been shown to reduce total mortality in post-AMI patients by 20%, with cardiovascular deaths cut by 30% and sudden deaths 45%, when used on top of reference treatments (such as statins, antiplatelet drugs, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors).