Singapore: AstraZeneca has partnered with Japan-based Daiichi Sankyo to co-commercialize Movantik (naloxegol) in the US, in line with the company's strategy of delivering value through its own development and commercial capabilities as well as through external collaboration.

Movantik is a first-in-class once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with chronic non-cancer pain.

Movantik was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2014. It was descheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2015 and is no longer labelled as a controlled substance. The launch of Movantik in the US is planned for early April 2015.

Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo will pay a $200 million up-front fee and subsequent sales-related payments of up to $625 million. AstraZeneca will be responsible for manufacturing, will book all sales and will make sales-related commission payments to Daiichi Sankyo.

Mr Paul Hudson, president, AstraZeneca US and executive vice president, North America, said, "We are delighted to collaborate with Daiichi Sankyo to expand our commercialisation efforts in the US in order to get this important medicine to the large number of patients suffering with opioid-induced constipation. Our agreement reflects our evolving business model by creating value from our portfolio through externalisation activity. Together, we will grow the potential of this important treatment, while we retain our significant interest in the long-term commercial success of Movantik in our largest market."

Mr Ken Keller, president, US Commercial, Daiichi Sankyo, "We are proud to bring our proven primary care and specialty expertise to this collaboration with AstraZeneca. Movantik represents an opportunity to help patients manage one of the most common conditions arising from widely used pain medications, as well as an opportunity to continue to build the Daiichi Sankyo US portfolio of medicines in this therapeutic area."