Drospirenone

Lupin has signed a license and supply agreement with OLIC (Thailand) LTD. (OLIC), a subsidiary of the renowned Japanese pharmaceutical company Fuji Pharma Co., Ltd. (Fuji), for marketing Nextstellis (drospirenone and estetrol tablets) in Vietnam and Philippines. Nextstellis is a novel combination medication comprising of drospirenone (DRSP) and estetrol (E4), indicated for use by women of reproductive age to prevent pregnancy. “We are delighted to collaborate with Fuji and OLIC to offer NextstellisTM to our patients in Vietnam and the Philippines. This new addition to our Women’s Health portfolio will strengthen our commitment to expand healthcare options worldwide,” said Dr. Fabrice Egros, President – Corporate Development and Growth Markets, Lupin. Fuji is a Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) listed, Japan?based pharmaceutical company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of prescription based pharmaceutical products. Fuji focuses on the field of women’s health care with a wide variety of new and generic drugs for women’s specific diseases such as infertility, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, contraception, and menopausal disorders. Fuji aims to be a leading company in women’s healthcare and support health of women of all ages.

Mithra’s efforts to extend its cash runway earlier this year were unsuccessful. Image credit: Shutterstock/Nudphon Phuengsuwan. A day after filing for bankruptcy, Mithra has sold its share in two of its daughter pharmaceutical companies along with rights to its female hormone drug portfolio for €175m ($188.2m). Recommended Buyer's Guides Buyer's Guide Leading Guide to Packaging Materials, Containers and Containment Services for the Pharmaceutical Industry Buyer's Guide Leading Guide to Compliance Software for the Pharmaceutical Industry The deal saw Budapest-headquartered pharma company Gedeon Richter buy all of Mithra’s shares in Neuralis and Estetra – both subsidiaries of the struggling women’s health pharmaceutical company. Gedeon Richter also gained assets related to the manufacturing of estetrol. The funds, after deduction of financial debts, will be used to repay Mithra’s creditors, meaning the sale does not create any value for the shareholders of Mithra Pharmaceuticals , according to a 10 June press release. Belgium-based Mithra has faced severe financial difficulties in the past few years with share prices tanking by more than 90%.  Efforts to extend its cash runway , which included raising $13.7m by selling its stake in Mayne Pharma , were unsuccessful, forcing the company to file for bankruptcy and siphon off its remaining holdings. The transfer will see Gedeon Richter gain rights to Mithra’s Estelle (estetrol-E4 / drospirenone), marketed as Nextstellis and Drovelis in the US and EU respectively. Estelle netted Mithra €2.6m in the first half of 2023. See Also: NPX-267 by NextPoint Therapeutics for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC): Likelihood of Approval NPX-267 by NextPoint Therapeutics for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Likelihood of Approval Gedeon Richter will also take on development duties for Mithra’s menopause treatment candidate Donesta which produced positive topline Phase III results in mid-2023. The orally administered estetrol (E4) hormone therapy is slated for US approval in 2024 and EU approval in 2025. Mithra said that “all 49 members of the personnel engaged by the transferred entities will be able to pursue their activities with Gedeon Richter,” along with 17 other employees who have been offered jobs by the latter company. Two of Mithra’s other properties – Novalon, a long-acting drug specialist entity it acquired in 2015, and a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) facility – remain unaffected by the deal with Gedeon Richter and stay under protection. Mithra said it expects offers to come in by mid-month subject to judicial protection measures being extended. In a statement released on 10 June announcing bankruptcy filing, Mithra stated its employees’ research and future progress “will outlive Mithra and will continue under a different banner from now on. We all hope that these efforts will lead to the development of new solutions that will benefit as many people as possible.”