Nycomed wins MoviPrep deal in Russia

Nycomed and Norgine, a European speciality pharmaceutical company, have entered into a licensing agreement that gives Nycomed the exclusive rights to commercialise MoviPrep, an osmotic laxative for bowel cleansing prior to any clinical procedure, in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The deal covers Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Jostein Davidson, senior vice-president of Nycomed Group and president of Nycomed Russia-CIS, said: "We are very pleased to further expand our recently established gastrointestinal product portfolio with MoviPrep. It has proven to be the preferred choice for bowel preparation in EU and Nycomed is proud to make this product a success in Russia/CIS improving quality of life for millions of patients."

MoviPrep will be subject to regulatory review and approval and Nycomed will conduct the necessary steps for approval. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

The drug is marketed by Norgine through its own sales and marketing organisation and by Salix Pharmaceuticals in the US, by Medical Futures in Canada, by PharmaSwiss in central and Eastern Europe and is under development with Ajinomoto in Japan.