Meda, an international specialty pharma company that concentrates on marketing and market-adapted product development, has acquired the exclusive world-wide commercialisation rights from Orexo of two patented drugs in late development phase; Sublinox and OX-NLA.

Sublinox (treatment of insomnia) contains the well-documented active substance zolpidem, one of the world´s most used substances for this disorder. Sublinox uses a unique and patented tablet formulation for fast and effective absorption. A recent phase III study confirmed that Sublinox gave faster onset of action than other zolpidem tablet formulations. Regulatory submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is expected before the 3rd quarter 2008.

Meda´s gross margin for Sublinox and OX-NLA is estimated to become higher than 70 per cent.

"This is a landmark event for Orexo. We believe Meda is going to be an excellent marketing partner for Sublinox and OX-NLA with their pan-European and US presence" said Torbjörn Bjerke, president and CEO Orexo. We believe Meda provides Orexo a commercial partner with global reach".

OX-NLA is a patented nasal spray formulation with the antihistamine substance cetirizine. The liposomes in OX-NLA give the product unique features. OX-NLA is being documented for the treatment of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, one of Meda´s major therapeutic areas. The product is entering phase III and Meda will fund continued development. Meda also has exclusive rights to develop and commercialise combination products based on OX-NLA.

"I´m really glad that two Swedish based pharma companies managed to secure this deal. We strengthen Meda´s pipeline and add another significant marketing opportunity in the US in the near term with Sublinox", stated Anders Lönner, CEO, Meda.