Eli Lilly Japan K.K. and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd announced that the two companies signed a sales collaboration agreement for a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist “Trulicity® Subcutaneous Injection 0.75 mg Ateos®” (hereinafter called “Trulicity”), for which Eli Lilly Japan obtained a manufacturing/marketing license as a drug indicated for type 2 diabetes, in Japan. Based on this agreement, Eli Lilly Japan retains a manufacturing/marketing license for Trulicity and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma takes responsibility for sales/distribution of the drug. Eli Lilly Japan and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma will conduct activities to provide healthcare professionals with information regarding Trulicity.
Commenting on the agreement signed this time, Kadir Tepebasi, Senior Director, Diabetes/GHD Business Unit of Eli Lilly Japan, says, “We are very excited for this sales collaboration program to form a strong team to market Trulicity. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has many years of experience in marketing pharmaceutical products in Japan and a strong relationship of mutual trust with our stakeholders. We are very pleased with being able to meet unmet medical needs of patients with Type 2 diabetes with this partnership to help them to reach their treatment goals and improve their outcomes.”
Also, Susumu Nakajima, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma’s Senior Executive Officer , Executive Director, Sales & Marketing says, “We are pleased with having been able to sign the Trulicity sales collaboration agreement. Our company positions the diabetes area as one of the important areas in domestic sales and is selling multiple type 2 diabetes drugs with different action mechanisms. With the sales collaboration agreement signed this time, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist joined our product lineup that is expected to make a further contribution to the treatment of type 2 diabetes by expanding treatment options for patients. Eli Lilly Japan and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma have a plan to make a further contribution to the treatment of type 2 diabetes by building a close cooperative relationship through the sales collaboration of Trulicity.
