Daiichi Sankyo Brasil and Kyorin Pharmaceutical reach agreement in Brazil

The KYORIN Holdings, Inc. subsidiary, KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereafter Kyorin Pharmaceutical), and the Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) subsidiary, Daiichi Sankyo Brasil Farmaceutica Ltda. (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo Brasil), have reached a basic agreement for activities in Brazil related to the development and marketing of Imidafenacin, a treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) that was discovered and developed by Kyorin Pharmaceutical.

Under the terms of this agreement, Kyorin Pharmaceutical grants Daiichi Sankyo Brasil exclusive rights to activities related to the development and marketing of Imidafenacin in Brazil.

Imidafenacin is a novel anticholinergic agent that acts as a selective antagonist on M3 and M1 muscarinic subtype receptors to improve the urgency of urination, pollakiuria and urge urinary incontinence associated with OAB. Imidafenacin selectively acts on the bladder, and therefore incidence of dry mouth is rather small. In Japan, Kyorin Pharmaceutical launched Imidafenacin under the Uritos® 0.1mg tablets name in June 2007. An additional dosage form as an orally disintegrating (OD) tablet was launched in April 2011.

Daiichi Sankyo possesses a sales network in Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. In order to further increase its presence in these Central and South American markets, Daiichi Sankyo is promoting its “Japan Pharma Strategy,” a specialized strategy for these areas which integrates novel drugs discovered by its Japanese peers with the “Japanese brand” fostered by Daiichi Sankyo to create high added value. This is the first agreement to leverage this strategy.

While Kyorin Pharmaceutical has achieved early market penetration in Japan and contributed to the QOL of patients suffering from symptoms of OAB, it aims to popularize Imidafenacin in the Brazilian market and promote its global business through this agreement with Daiichi Sankyo Brasil.

Through this agreement, Daiichi Sankyo and Kyorin Pharmaceutical expect to contribute to improving quality of life for patients suffering from OAB in order to further contribute to the health of people around the world.