Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group’s healthcare business, has launched Ipsen's Somatuline 60/90/120 mg, a subcutaneous injection in Japan for the treatment of acromegaly and pituitary gigantism (when response to surgical therapies is not satisfactory or surgical therapies are difficult to perform). In Japan, Teijin Pharma holds the rights to develop and market the drug.

Somatuline is a synthetic somatostatin analog developed by Ipsen approved in more than 60 countries worldwide. In Japan, Somatuline is available in a differentiated and enhanced presentation with a pre-filled syringe that does not need reconstitution and with a retractable needle that enhances safety for caregivers; Somatuline’s long-lasting effects enable one administration every four weeks.

Kentaro Arao, president of Teijin Pharma said, “Somatuline, used in more than 60 countries worldwide, is highly regarded by the medical profession and patients for its long-lasting effects and user-friendly dosing devices. We are pleased to launch Somatuline in Japan, confident that it will offer patients a beneficial treatment option to control the symptoms of acromegaly, or pituitary gigantism, for improved quality of life.”

Christophe Jean, Ipsen’s executive vice president, Operations said, "We are privileged to have Teijin as our partner in Japan and pleased that Somatuline is now also available to Japanese patients suffering from acromegaly and pituitary gigantism.”

In the framework of the successive agreements signed between Teijin and Ipsen, Teijin is entitled to develop and commercialise Somatuline in Japan and Ipsen will manufacture and supply the finished product to Teijin. Ipsen will record the supply sale to Teijin in its sales line.

Acromegaly is a metabolic disease in which pituitary gland tumours cause excess secretion of hormone responsible for growth of bone and muscle. This results in a variety of symptoms, including protrusion of the brow and jaw, enlargement of extremities such as nose, lips, hands and feet, headaches, and loss of outer field vision. The term pituitary gigantism is used when the condition occurs in children, since it results in excess height and growth of feet and hands.

Progression of acromegaly is so slow that the disease often goes unnoticed by the person afflicted as well as the people around them. Eventually it can lead to metabolic complications, such as diabetes, hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular disease. Acromegaly also increases the risk of malignant tumours, so patients are two to five times more likely to die early than healthy individuals, resulting in a shortened lifespan with a mean reduction of about 10 years.

In Japan, the number of patients with acromegaly is thought to be about 10,000 including subjects that are not yet diagnosed for acromegaly. Acromegaly is designated as an intractable disease, so patients are eligible to receive publicly subsidized treatment. The most common treatment is surgical resection of the tumor, but drug therapy or radiation therapy is used when the tumor is too large to remove surgically, or when excess hormone secretion persists even after surgery. To date, drug therapy has consisted of somatostatin analogues (somatostatin is a hormone that inhibits secretion of growth hormone). However, at present there is only a single somatostatin agonist available in Japan, leaving unmet needs for additional treatment options.

The active substance in Somatuline and Somatuline Autogel is lanreotide, which inhibits the growth and secretion of several endocrine, exocrine and paracrine hormones. It is particularly effective in inhibiting the secretion of growth hormone.

Somatuline (also marketed as Somatuline Autogel outside the USA and Somatuline Depot in the USA) is a sustained release formulation for injection containing lanreotide, a somatostatin analogue (a hormone that inhibits the release of growth hormone).

Somatuline was initially developed and continues to be used mainly in the treatment of acromegaly, a disorder caused by the overproduction of growth hormone or prolactin due to a benign tumour of the anterior pituitary gland. This product subsequently underwent further development in Europe in the treatment of symptoms associated with neuroendocrine tumours (particularly of a carcinoid type).

Ipsen believes that the Somatuline Autogel formulation, to which it holds the patent, represents a major technological advance. As far as the Group is aware, this represents the first semisolid formulation for injection where the active substance itself controls the sustained release.

Somatuline Autogel releases the active substance over a period of at least 28 days, thus requiring just one injection per month. In some countries, for acromegaly patients well-controlled with 60mg or 90mg every four weeks, an extended dosing interval of Somatuline 120mg given every six to eight weeks, may be used, reducing the number on injections per year.

This product is presented in a pre-filled syringe for convenient administration. In some countries, Somatuline is available in a differentiated and enhanced presentation with a pre-filled syringe that does not need reconstitution and with a retractable needle that enhances safety for caregivers. As of today, Somatuline and Somatuline Autogel are marketed in more than 60 countries (including 25 in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan) for the treatment of acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours.

Teijin is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare.

Ipsen is a global specialty-driven pharmaceutical company and aims to become a leader in specialty healthcare solutions for targeted debilitating diseases.