Sun Pharma, SPARC ink deal for commercialization of phenobarbital for injection

Sun Pharma and Sun Pharma Advanced Research Co. (SPARC) have inked a licensing agreement for the commercialization of benzyl alcohol and propylene glycol-free phenobarbital sodium powder for injection in the United States.

SPARC submitted an NDA to the Food and Drug Administration for this product for the treatment of neonatal seizures in February 2022. Currently, there are no phenobarbital injection products approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures in newborns.

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Under the terms of the license agreement, Sun Pharma will pay SPARC an upfront payment of $10 million. SPARC also will be eligible to receive milestone payments contingent upon the achievement of regulatory and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on sales, the company said.

“SPARC’s benzyl alcohol and propylene glycol-free formulation of phenobarbital for injection is an exciting addition to our growing portfolio of specialty branded products in the United States. Through our existing relationships with hospitals and other institutional customers, we are well-positioned to bring this product to market and make a difference in the lives of patients,” said Abhay Gandhi, Sun Pharma CEO North America.

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“SPARC is excited to enter into this collaboration with Sun Pharma and is committed to developing new products to address the needs of patients. SPARC’s benzyl alcohol and propylene glycol-free formulation of phenobarbital for injection is designed to minimize the risk of neonatal gasping syndrome, a life-threatening condition, which can be observed with the use of benzyl alcohol-containing drug formulations,” said Anil Raghavan, CEO of SPARC.