Cipla agrees Rifaximin licensing deal
Indian drug maker Cipla has signed a deal with Salix Pharmaceuticals allowing the US-based company exclusive rights relating to the Rifaximin Complexes patent family.
The agreement excludes Asia, other than Japan, and Africa.
Rifaximin is used for the treatment of travellers’ diarrhoea caused by non-invasive strains of escherichia coli.
According to Cipla, the agreement is an expansion of a 2009 exclusive license agreement in which Cipla granted Salix exclusive rights in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Subhanu Saxena, global CEO at Cipla, said: "As we look to go live with our own front-end presence in North America, we are happy that through this association we can demonstrate to the wider industry that we are open to global partnerships for the development and commercialisation of complex products."
Salix is required to make an up-front payment as well as additional regulatory milestone payments. It will also pay royalties on net sales of products covered by the patents.
Earlier this week, Cipla, along with several other Indian drug makers, reached a licensing agreement with Gilead enabling it to sell a generic version of the hepatitis C drug Sovaldi (sofosbuvir).
