Swedish Orphan Biovitrum in Removab distribution deal

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) has reached a distribution agreement with Fresenius Biotech under which Sobi will distribute Removab exclusively in 15 European countries over seven years.

Removab was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission in April 2009 for the treatment of malignant ascites associated with cancer and has been launched in Germany and Austria so far. The territories in which Sobi will distribute Removab are Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

‘Removab is an innovative product that holds great value to patients with high medical needs,’ said Kennet Rooth, ceo of Sobi. ‘We are looking forward to the Fresenius Biotech partnership and the additional growth potential Removab will add to our business. Moreover, Removab is a perfect fit with our cancer product portfolio such as Yondelis which is distributed in similar territories.’

‘The agreement with Sobi is part of our strategy of complementing our own marketing and sales activities with strong partnerships in additional territories,’ said Christian Schetter, ceo of Fresenius Biotech.

Removab is the first drug worldwide with a regulatory label for the treatment of malignant ascites. It is a tri-functional antibody licensed from TRION Pharma. The therapeutic objective of Removab is to generate a strong immune reaction against cancer cells resulting in their elimination.