Singapore: Sucampo Pharma and Abbott received approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan for AMITIZA (lubiprostone). The drug is a prescription medicine that is used for the treatment of chronic constipation (excluding constipation caused by organic diseases).

Dr Ryuji Ueno, chairman and CEO, Sucampo, said that, "We are very pleased to receive Japan's first-ever approval for a prescription medicine for chronic constipation as it helps us achieve our objective of bringing medicines with novel mechanisms of action to patients with unmet medical needs on a global basis. We look forward to working with Abbott to meet the needs of these patients in Japan."

Sucampo and Abbott Japan entered into a license, commercialization and supply agreement for AMITIZA in Japan during 2009.