Dyax made a strategic partnership with Novellus Biopharma, a Latin American-focused pharmaceuticals company, for the development and commercialization of Kalbitor® (ecallantide) for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) and other angioedema indications in select regions in Latin America including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. Kalbitor is marketed in United States for the treatment of acute attacks of HAE in patients 16 years of age and older. It became commercially available in the U.S. in February of 2010.
As part of the agreement, Dyax will receive an up-front payment and is eligible to receive future sales milestones. Dyax is also eligible to receive royalties on net product sales. Novellus is solely responsible for all costs associated with necessary development, regulatory activities, and the commercialization of Kalbitor in the covered territories. Additionally, Novellus will purchase drug product from Dyax on a cost-plus basis for commercial supply.
“Novellus’ experience in bringing novel biotherapeutics to market will be important in delivering Kalbitor to HAE patients in this region,” said Gustav Christensen, president and CEO of Dyax. “We continue to make strides in expanding the availability of Kalbitor and delivering an acute HAE treatment to patients in need around the globe.”
Dyax is spreading the gospel of Kalbitor to every nation. In June, it granted exclusive distribution rights to Middle-Eastern healthcare marketing company taiba for the use of Kalbitor in the treatment of HAE within the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, and Iran. Likewise, back in June of 2010, it made another strategic partnership with Defiante Farmaceutica, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Sigma-Tau, to develop and commercialize Kalbitor (also known as subcutaneous DX-88) for the treatment of HAE and other therapeutic indications throughout Europe, North Africa, Middle East, and Russia. The Defiante partnership was expanded in January of 2011 to include Australia and New Zealand, and again in May of the same year to include development and commercialization rights in Latin America (excluding Mexico and the Caribbean), Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea.