- For Print
- July 30, 2008
Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito) announced today that Eisai China Inc. (Headquarters: Suzhou, President: Yukio Akada, “ECI”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., has entered into license agreement with Health Vision Enterprise Ltd. (Headquarters: Hong Kong, Directors: Alex Leung and Zona Yim, “Health Vision”), a sales subsidiary of STADA Arzneimittel AG (Headquarters: Germany, “STADA”), for sales and repack of α-Lipon 300 STADA® (generic name: α-lipoic acid) in China. α-Lipon 300 STADA® is a treatment for diabetic neuropathic pain developed by STADA.
With this agreement, ECI will take over sales promotion activities for α-Lipon 300 STADA® in China from Health Vision from August 1. In addition, ECI will prepare for filing an application for repacking the product at its Suzhou plant. Upon approval, ECI will assume repacking and sales of α-Lipon 300 STADA® in China.
α-Lipon 300 STADA® is a therapeutic agent for diabetic neuropathic pains developed by STADA, and has been on the market in China since 2005. It relieves neuropathic pain associated with diabetes by its antioxidant effect, which reduces overproduction of oxygen species and normalization of glucose metabolism.
Recently, the incidence of diabetes in China has been increasing by about 10% every year, as part of a result of rapid economic growth. Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 30 million patients with diabetes and the number is expected to reach 46 millions in 2025. Diabetic neuropathy is one of the common complications associated with diabetes and may lead to paresthesia, which causes problems such as pain or numbness in the end of the fingers and toes. α-Lipon 300 STADA® is used to treat these symptoms.
Eisai believes that the addition of α-Lipon 300 STADA®, together with its existing products Methycobal®, a treatment for peripheral nerve disorder and Glufast®, a rapid-acting insulin secretagogue which is being filed for approval, will strengthen Eisai's capabilities in the diabetic therapeutic area in China. Eisai is committed to make further contributions to increasing the quality of life of diabetic patients in China and will continue to enrich its product lineup with in-house products, as well as in-licensed strategic products that will serve the needs of the people in China.
[Please see the following note for the product information and company profile]
< Notes to Editors >
About α-Lipon 300 STADA®
Product Name: α-Lipon 300 STADA®
Generic Name: α- lipoic acid
Applied Indication: Paresthesia associated with diabetic neuropathy
Dosage and Administration: The recommended dosage of α-Lipon 300 STADA is 300 to 600mg (one to two ampoules) a day as α- lipoic acid for two to four weeks. α-Lipon 300 STADA can be administered by I.V., infusion, or I.M. I.V. should be by slow injection, with the rate not exceeding 50mg per minute (equivalent to 2mL injection). When administered by infusion, α-Lipon 300 STADA, for example, should be solved with 100 to 250mL of saline solution and be administered for more than 30 minutes. For use by I.M., maximum single dosage is 50mg (equivalent to 2mL injection). When dosage above 50mg is required, it should be divided into several administrations.
Side effects: I.V. may cause congestion of the head and dyspnea, but these are generally transient and relieve without treatment. Allergic reaction may appear at injection site or involve the entire body. There have been isolated reports of convulsion, double vision, purpura and thrombopathies.
About Health Vision Enterprise Ltd.
Health Vision (Headquarters: Hong Kong), a sales subsidiary of STADA, a German company publicly listed on MDAX, obtains marketing authorization of pharmaceutical products developed by STADA and other medium-sized European and US pharmaceutical companies as well as conducting sales and marketing activities in China. Currently, the company is focusing on therapeutic areas including respiratory, ENT, and surgery areas. Main products of Health Vision include Gelomyrtol® for acute and chronic sinusitis and bronchitis, Azep® nasal spray for allergic rhinitis, and Fibinglu® for post-operative haemostasis. Health Vision reported annual sales of approximately €8 million for 2007.
For more information about Health Vision, please visit http://www.hvision.com.