Merck
ALK has signed an agreement with Merck (previously Schering-Plough) on a strategic alliance to develop and commercialize ALK’s tablet-based allergy immunotherapies in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The agreement gives Merck exclusive licence rights to develop, market and distribute the tablet-based immunotherapies against grass pollen allergy (GRAZAX®), house dust mite allergy and ragweed allergy.
Merck will be responsible for all costs of clinical development, registration, marketing and sales of the products in the markets covered by this agreement. ALK will be responsible for tablet production and supply.
Torii
ALK and Torii enter into an exclusive license agreement to develop and commercialise ALK’s house dust mite allergy immunotherapy products for asthma and allergic rhinitis in Japan, which is the world’s second largest market for allergy medicine after the USA.
The agreement also covers an injection based immunotherapy product, Alutard®, and diagnostic products against house dust mite allergy. Moreover, the agreement includes a research and development collaboration targeting a tablet based immunotherapy product against Japanese cedar pollen allergy.
Torii will be incurring all the costs of clinical development, registration, marketing and sale of the products, while ALK will be responsible for production and supply of the products.
Catalent
ALK is cooperating with the British company Catalent (formerly Cardinal Health) on the administration formula for the tablet based allergy vaccines.
Catalent has developed a pharmaceutical fast-dissolving tablet technology for sublingual administration. This technology is registered under the commercial name Zydis.