12/22/06
Vectura Group plc, Chippenham, UK, has signed a US collaboration, development, and licence agreement with a leading international pharmaceutical company for Vectura’s VR315 product, a combination asthma therapy. Under the agreement, VR315 will be developed as a generic combination product using Vectura’s GyroHaler® dry powder inhaler (DPI). This follows the announcement in April 2006 that Vectura had signed an agreement for VR315 covering the European market.
Vectura’s GyroHaler® is a multi-dose DPI developed with the aim of providing advantages over other inhaler devices, including better convenience for patients, more consistent, precise dosing, and excellent moisture protection, a key distinguishing factor in inhaled drugs which are in a fine powder form.
Vectura will be responsible for the product development of VR315 for the US market and for establishing the commercial manufacture and supply of the GyroHaler® device for the product. Vectura’s partner will be responsible for the clinical development, manufacture, and marketing of the product for the US market.
Combination therapy is the biggest and fastest growing sector of the respiratory market with worldwide annual sales currently exceeding $8 billion and US annual sales estimated to exceed $4 billion.
