Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (Daiichi Sankyo), a global pharmaceutical company, announced that the company has filed an application for the manufacture and sales in Japan of hydromorphone hydrochloride oral formulation (extended-release and immediate-release formulations), a narcotic analgesic.
Hydromorphone hydrochloride is an opiate, narcotic analgesic that has been available outside of Japan for over 80 years. Although it is the standard for pain management for cancer pain treatment according to WHO guidelines, hydromorphone hydrochloride has yet to be approved in Japan.
Hydromorphone hydrochloride is one of the agents publicly offered for development by the Review Committee on Unapproved Drugs and Indications with High Medical Needs. Daiichi Sankyo decided to develop the drug in 2012, and received a grant from the Pharmaceutical Development Support Center for its development.
As part of its CSR effort, Daiichi Sankyo is committed to making unapproved and off-label drugs with high medical needs available to patients who are waiting for them to be approved.