Lugano, SWITZERLAND and Pickering, CANADA, April 25, 2016: Helsinn, the Swiss Group focused on building quality cancer care products and Purdue Pharma Canada today announce that they have signed an exclusive agreement for the distribution and licensing of Akynzeo®, the oral fixed combination of netupitant and palonosetron developed for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

Under the terms of the agreement, Helsinn retains clinical development activities and the manufacturing and supply of Akynzeo®. Purdue Pharma Canada will have exclusive rights to registration, marketing, promotion, distribution and sales of Akynzeo® in Canada. Akynzeo® is already approved in the US, the EU, Switzerland, Israel, and Australia.

Akynzeo® has been recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) antiemetic guidelines, both in Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy (HEC) and Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy (MEC). The American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) validated Akynzeo® as an additional therapy that will facilitate the application of standard of care for patients receiving HEC regimens by preventing nausea and vomiting in both the acute and delayed phases of emesis. In addition, Akynzeo® is included in the MASCC/ESMO Guidelines for patients receiving HEC and carboplatin based chemotherapy.

Riccardo Braglia, Helsinn Group Vice Chairman and CEO, commented:“We are delighted to be working with Purdue Pharma Canada to make Akynzeo® available in Canada, subject to regulatory approval. Helsinn seeks to improve the lives of people with cancer everywhere, by making the highest quality products available where they are needed. Akynzeo® has been well received by a number of respected cancer organizations who have recommended its use as part of standard of care regimens for the treatment of CINV.”

Dr. Craig Landau, President and CEO, Purdue Pharma Canada added:“Subject to product approval by Health Canada, this agreement will enable us to provide Canadians with an important and novel treatment in oncology supportive care which can mitigate the distressing side effects of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting” said Dr. Craig Landau, President and CEO of Purdue Pharma Canada. “Further, this agreement supports Purdue Pharma Canada’s goal to diversify our existing portfolio in cancer supportive care, an obvious adjacency to our existing analgesic business, further strengthening our growth plans in Canada.”

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About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a privately owned cancer supportive care pharmaceutical group with an extensive portfolio of marketed products and a broad development pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality, through a unique integrated licensing business model working with long standing partners in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and nutritional supplement products. Helsinn is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Ireland and the US, a representative office in China, as well as a product presence in about 90 countries globally.

In 2016, our 40th anniversary year, you can meet representatives from Helsinn at:

• ASCO Annual Meeting (Chicago, USA, 3-7 June)
• MASCC Annual Meeting (Adelaide, Australia, 23-25 June)
• ChemOutsourcing Conference (Parsippany, New Jersey, 19-21 September)
• CPhI Worldwide (Barcelona, Spain, 4-6 October)
• ESMO Congress (Copenhagen, Denmark, 7-11 October)
• BioEurope (Köln, Germany, 4-6 November)

For more information, please visit www.helsinn.com 

About Purdue Pharma Canada

Purdue Pharma Canada is a research-based pharmaceutical company with its headquarters, R&D operations, and manufacturing located in Pickering, Ontario. The company is a leader in the research and development of medicines for the treatment of pain and central nervous system disorders (ADHD) and a growing pipeline of prescription and over the counter products. Privately held, Purdue Pharma Canada is independently associated with the worldwide Purdue/Napp/Mundipharma network of companies.

In 2016, our 60^th anniversary year, you can meet representatives from Purdue Pharma Canada at:

• BIO (San Francisco, USA, 6-9 June)
• BioEurope (Köln, Germany, 4-6 November)

For more information, please visit our website www.purdue.ca 

For more information please contact:

Helsinn Group

Paola Bonvicini

Head of Communication & Press Office

Lugano, Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21

Info-hhc@helsinn.com

For media / external inquiries Consilium   Strategic Communications  Mary-Jane   Elliott / Jessica Hodgson / Matthew Neal / Laura Thornton London, UK Tel: +44   (0)203 709 5700 Helsinn@consilium-comms.com

Purdue Pharma Canada

Aimee Sulliman, Director of Communications

Pickering, Ontario CANADA

Tel: 1 (905) 420-4423

Email: media@purdue.ca