Sobi, a biopharmaceutical specialist in rare diseases, will have exclusive marketing, sales and rights and distribution rights for both small molecules until the end of December, 2021.
Alan Raffensperger, Sobi COO, said in a statement: “This distribution agreement will allow us to leverage our existing expertise and extensive experience within the area of UCDs.”
Target markets
Ravicti is currently distributed within certain Middle East countries, and Horizon plans to distribute the drug in European countries including the UK, France, Germany and Spain.
Ammonaps will be distributed in both these European countries and the same regions in the Middle East.
“We believe that Sobi's current distribution of Ammonaps uniquely qualifies it to effectively provide Ravicti to people living with UCDs in European markets,” said Francoise de Craecker–group vice president and general manager at Horizon–in a statement.
Urea cycle disorders
Ravicti is Horizon’s oral formulation of glycerol phenylbutyerate, developed for management of urea cycle disorder drugs (UCDs) alongside restriction of dietary proteins and treatment of acute hyperannoemia (excess ammonia).
Ammonaps is a tablet form of sodium phenylbutyrate developed for patients of all ages with neonatal-onset of UCDs (i.e. complete enzyme deficiency) by Sobi.
The drug is also indicated for late-onset patients with a risk of brain swelling caused by excess ammonia.
Sobi plans to launch Ravicti within Europe in 2017.