GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) and Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc they have signed an agreement in which GSK will exclusively market Integrilin in Europe.

Under the terms of the agreement, Millennium is entitled to licence fees, milestone payments and royalties from GSK on Integrilin sales in Europe upon the achievement of certain objectives. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

GSK will actively commercialize Integrilin in Europe upon the approved transfer of marketing authorizations, which is anticipated to be complete by December 2004. The execution of this agreement between Millennium and GSK for Integrilin follows its acquisition of the rights to market the product in Europe from its partner Schering Plough Corporation, and Schering Plough will continue to promote Integrilin in Europe until the transfer is complete.

Schering-Plough will continue to co-promote Integrilin with Millennium in the US and sell the product in all other territories outside Europe, and will continue to pay Millennium royalties on Integrilin sales outside of the US and Europe. No financial details of the agreement for the return of the European rights from Schering Plough to commercialize Integrilin were disclosed, the release continues.

"We are delighted by the commitment and strength that GSK brings to capture the full market potential of Integrilin in this territory," said Kenneth Bate, chief financial officer and head of commercial operations, Millennium.

"This is an exciting opportunity for GSK to strengthen its cardiovascular critical care portfolio and to establish GSK presence in the rapidly growing hospital acute care market in Europe," said Andrew Witty, president, GSK Pharmaceuticals Europe. "Based on guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology that strongly recommend the use of GP IIb-IIIa inhibitors in ACS patients, we believe that appropriate use of Integrilin will improve the quality of care and ultimately save lives in this patient population. Given the strong market leadership role that Integrilin holds in the US, we believe that
we have the potential to establish Integrilin as a foundation of care in treating ACS patients in Europe," he added.

The commercialization alliance is designed to provide significant sales and marketing support to capitalize on growth opportunities for Integrilin in Europe and will enhance the GSK cardiovascular critical care portfolio and presence in the European acute care market.

Launched in Europe in 1999 and in the US in 1998, Integrilin is used to treat patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, two closely related conditions known as acute coronary syndromes (ACS), which result in more than 2.5 million hospitalisations annually in the US and Europe combined.