Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has inked a strategic deal with Basilea Pharmaceutical, an international biopharmaceutical company specializing in the research and development of anti-infective and oncological medicines.

 Under the deal, Pfizer will be granted the exclusive development and commercialization rights in China and several countries in the Asia Pacific region to CRESEMBA (isavuconazole).  CRESEMBA is a novel antifungal medicine for the treatment of adult patients with diagnosed invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis, two serious infections associated with significant morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients, such as those with advanced HIV and those with cancer.

As per the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will have exclusive rights to develop, distribute and commercialize CRESEMBA in sixteen Asian Pacific countries and China (including Hong Kong and Macao except Japan.  In addition, Pfizer will become the marketing authorization holder for the Asia Pacific Region and China.  The specific financial terms of the agreement remain confidential.  The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approval.

 “We are excited to extend our partnership with Basilea, a company that shares our passion and commitment to confronting the global challenges of infectious disease management,” said Suneet Varma, global president of Pfizer APAC, Greater China and Global Brands.  “We believe our extensive geographic footprint in APAC and China, together with our expertise in successfully commercializing innovative medicines, will help enable us to continue to address the unmet medical needs of patients, especially in the area of anti-infectives.”

CRESEMBA was developed in response to the urgent medical need for antifungal medicines for the treatment of invasive fungal infections, which are naturally resistant to many antifungal therapies and have become increasingly resistant to other available therapies.  Today, invasive aspergillosis is the most frequently reported fungal infection in immunocompromised individuals within the Asian Pacific region.

“CRESEMBA is a well differentiated drug that addresses a critical medical need in patients with invasive mold infections, said Ronald Scott, chief executive officer of Basilea.  “We are very pleased to be expanding our partnership with Pfizer to China and Asia Pacific where it has a strong commercial presence and a proven track record of successfully developing and commercializing hospital antifungals.  We have now established partnerships for isavuconazole with leading pharmaceutical companies in all major markets around the world.”