Sandoz inks deal with Vectura to develop inhaled asthma, COPD generic

CHIPPENHAM, U.K. — Vectura Group is looking to Novartis’ Sandoz division to bring a generic inhaled asthma and COPD treatment to the United States. The company on Wednesday announced the agreement, which will see Sandoz developing and commercializing a generic of a major inhaled combination therapy delivered using a pressurized metered dose inhaler.

Vectura will develop the formulation and manufacture clinical batches of the treatment, VR2081, for its use in pilot clinical studies of the treatment as Sandoz oversees clinical development, manufacture and commercialization. It will see Sandoz paying Vecutra $5 million upfront, with Vectura eligible for $5 million more when pre-determined milestones are achieved. It can also receive a double-digit royalty percentage on net sales. Vectura said it expects to launch the drug in the early to mid-2020s, with a total R&D cost below $20 million.

“This agreement, extending our existing strong relationship with Sandoz, further reinforces Vectura’s compelling position as a leader in the development of inhaled novel and generic products leveraging our suite of formulation and device platforms and proven development capabilities,” Vectura CEO James Ward-Lilley said. “Following the merger of Vectura and Skyepharma last summer we announced that we were prioritizing three to five generic projects utilizing the Group’s newly combined pMDI and DPI device platforms. This program represents the first partnered collaboration of this series of projects and offers substantial potential for future value creation.”