Grünenthal acquires Averitas Pharma and establishes commercial footprint in the US

Aachen, Germany / Morristown, New Jersey, USA (ots) - Grünenthal
announced today that it has acquired the US-based pharmaceutical
company Averitas Pharma, thereby extending its commercial footprint
to the United States. Averitas Pharma will be commercialising the
pain patch Qutenza® (8 % capsaicin) for Grünenthal in the US.
Grünenthal had only recently acquired the remaining global rights,
including the US rights, for the product from Acorda Therapeutics.

"I am proud to say that we are now establishing our own commercial
presence in the world's biggest pharma market, the US, for the first
time," says Gabriel Baertschi, Grünenthal's Chief Executive Officer.
"This acquisition is another important milestone in executing our
growth strategy and expanding our business across multiple pain
related therapeutic categories and geographies. Averitas Pharma is a
perfect match due to its significant specialty pharma expertise in
the US market and experience in different commercial models also
beyond the typical 'reach and frequency' approach".

Averitas Pharma will be enhancing the commercial distribution
model for Qutenza® towards a specialty pharmacy and hub services
model that makes it easier for patients to access the product and
support health care professionals in prescribing and applying it.
"This will help us transitioning and ramping up the Qutenza® US
business, bringing the product back on the growth path in the US,"
explains Gabriel Baertschi.

Qutenza® is a local analgesic and an alternative to the current
standard of care, as there is still a high unmet medical need in pain
management, particularly for non-opioid and non-systemic treatments.
In Europe, it is approved for a broad peripheral neuropathic pain
indication in adults, e.g. post-surgical neuropathic pain,
cancer-related neuropathic pain and painful diabetic peripheral
neuropathy. In the US, Qutenza® is currently only approved for the
treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Averitas Pharma will work
towards a broader neuropathic pain label from the US Food & Drug
Administration (FDA).

Grünenthal continues executing its growth strategy and has been
expanding its pain portfolio by a series of acquisitions including
European rights to Nexium®, the global (ex US and Japan) rights to
Vimovo®, the global rights to Qutenza® and global (ex Japan) rights
to Zomig®. The company has signed deals with a total value of more
than US$ 1.3 billion since 2016.

About Qutenza®

Qutenza® (capsaicin) 8% patch is approved in the US for the
management of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic
neuralgia. A single, 1-hour, localized treatment with Qutenza® may
provide 3 months of relief from post-shingles nerve pain (PHN). In
Europe, Qutenza® is approved by the European Medicines Agency for the
treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in adults, including
post-surgical neuropathic pain, cancer-related neuropathic pain and
painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, either alone or in
combination with other pain medicines. The 8% capsaicin patch
delivers a high dose of capsaicin directly to the damaged nerves in
the skin that are the source of neuropathic pain. Applied to the area
of pain, the capsaicin reduces the spontaneous activity and
consequently reduces the neuropathic pain intensity. Important safety
information can be found here:

www.qutenza.com and http://ots.de/ezdRdr

About Grünenthal

Grünenthal is an entrepreneurial, science-based pharmaceutical
company specialized in pain, gout and inflammation. Our ambition is
to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with
high unmet medical need by 2022 and become a EUR 2 bn company. We are
a fully integrated research & development company with a long track
record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art
technologies to patients. By sustainably investing in our R&D above
the industrial average, we are strongly committed to innovation.

Grünenthal is an independent, family-owned company headquartered
in Aachen, Germany. We are present in approx. 30 countries with
affiliates in Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are sold
in more than 100 countries and approx. 5,200 employees are working
for Grünenthal worldwide. In 2017, Grünenthal achieved revenues of
approx. EUR 1.3 bn.

More information: www.grunenthal.com

Follow us on:
LinkedIn: Grunenthal Group
Twitter: @grunenthalgroup
Instagram: gruenenthal

For further information, please contact:
?t?pán Krá?ala, Head Global Communications
Tel.: +49 241 569-1335,
Stepan.Kracala@grunenthal.com
Grünenthal GmbH, 52099 Aachen, Germany

Kerstin Nacken, Head Editorial Management and Media Relations
Tel.: +49 241 569-2710, Kerstin.Nacken@grunenthal.com
Grünenthal GmbH, 52099 Aachen, Germany

Original-Content von: Grünenthal Group, übermittelt durch news aktuell