image credit- shutterstock
Switzerland-based Santhera Pharmaceuticals has announced the signing of an exclusive agreement with Ikris Pharma Network to manage the distribution of AGAMREE® (vamorolone) in India, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients four years of age and older.
The agreement between Santhera and Ikris has a 5-year term and Santhera will receive a percentage of net sales, in line with previous distribution agreements. Sales are expected to begin in Q4 2025 on a named patient basis. This agreement follows recent distribution deals secured in Turkey and a range of Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Santhera continues to press ahead with the global rollout of AGAMREE.
AGAMREE is a novel drug with a mode of action based on binding to the same receptor as glucocorticoids but modifying its downstream activity. Moreover, it is not a substrate for the 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) enzymes that may be responsible for local drug amplification and corticosteroid-associated toxicity in local tissues. This mechanism has shown the potential to ‘dissociate’ efficacy from steroid safety concerns and therefore AGAMREE is positioned as a dissociative anti-inflammatory drug and an alternative to existing corticosteroids, the current standard of care in children and adolescent patients with DMD.
