Maruho pays SkyePharma $18 million to sell DepBupivacaine in Japan

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Nov. 1 - Maruho Co. Ltd. And SkyePharma plc announced Tuesday that they have entered into an strategic agreement for the development, marketing and distribution of DepBupivacaine in Japan.

The deal calls for Maruho to pay SkyePharma up to $18 million, including upfront and milestone payments, to market DepBupivacainem, SkyePharma's novel, sustained-release injectable formulation of the local anesthetic bupivacaine, according to a company news release.

Maruho will conduct at its own cost the clinical development required for regulatory approval of DepoBupivacaine in Japan. Additionally, SkyePharma will receive a share of Maruho's sales of the product in Japan, out of which SkyePharma will bear the cost of the manufacturing, officials said in the release.

"DepoBupivacaine is a key pipeline product for SkyePharma. We are delighted to have found in Maruho an

excellent development partner for the important Japanese market," SkyePharma's chief executive Michael Ashton said in the release.

With five million surgical procedures each year in Japan, company officials said, DepoBupivacaine will bring important advantages to patients undergoing surgery.

London-based SkyePharma uses a proprietary drug delivery technology to develop easier-to-use and more effective formulations of drugs.

Maruho, based in Osaka, Japan, is a research-based pharmaceutical company with a focus on dermatological and orthopedic products.

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