Aventis
Pharmaceuticals, the U.S. pharmaceutical company of Aventis S.A. (NYSE: AVE), and
Byk Gulden, the pharmaceutical group of
Altana AG, today announced that they have
signed an agreement pertaining to Byk Gulden's new inhaled corticosteroid, ciclesonide,
for the treatment of
asthma. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will
jointly develop and promote ciclesonide in the United States. No financial terms were
disclosed.
"Despite recent medical advances, asthma remains a major respiratory disease. This
agreement will enable us to continue to develop a new medication that may offer
benefits to individuals with asthma," said Gerald P. Belle, president, Aventis
Pharmaceuticals, North America. "Aventis has a long-standing commitment to the
development of new respiratory therapies, and we are excited about the possibility of
adding another asthma treatment to our top-selling allergy and asthma drug portfolio,
which includes Allegra®, Nasacort® AQ and Azmacort®."
Aventis and Byk Gulden will work in collaboration to complete clinical study requirements
for registration in the United States and abroad. As part of the overall agreement, Byk
Gulden's U.S. affiliate, Altana, Inc., based in Long Island, N.Y., will co-promote the
product with Aventis. Altana Inc. will establish a new division that will be based in north
central New Jersey, and will initially comprise clinical development studies, regulatory
affairs and sales and marketing.
"This is an important step to realize our strategic goal to expand our pharmaceutical
business in the United States with a focus on innovative therapies," said Dr.
Hans-Joachim Lohrisch, President & CEO of Byk Gulden and member of the ALTANA board
of management.
Ciclesonide is a new generation inhaled corticosteroid that may provide advantages over
existing therapies. Inhaled corticosteroids, considered to be the mainstay of asthma
treatment, are anti-inflammatory medications that are used to prevent and reduce
swelling inside the bronchial airways of the lungs. Ciclesonide has been widely studied in
Europe in more than 40
clinical trials involving more than 4,000 asthma patients. Phase
III trials are under way in the United States.
Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by the
inflammation of the lungs' airways.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, it affects more than
100 million individuals worldwide, including an estimated 15 million Americans.