SkyePharma PLC announced a licence agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to provide access to one of SkyePharma's proprietary formulation technologies for application to the delivery of respiratory drugs either by breath-actuated dry-powder inhaler or by metered-dose aerosol inhaler. The agreement was signed at the end of 2003.

Michael Ashton, chief executive of SkyePharma, said, "Following hard on the heels of the recent FDA "approvable" letter for the Foradil CertiHaler that we co-developed with Novartis and a subsequent second agreement with Novartis to jointly develop a dry-powder inhaler version of QAB149, a novel long-acting bronchodilator, this new agreement with the acknowledged leader in the respiratory field provides further endorsement of SkyePharma's technology leadership in the important and fast-growing pulmonary delivery market."

SkyePharma PLC develops pharmaceutical products benefiting from world leading drug delivery technologies that provide easier-to-use and more effective drug formulations.