SPARC Licenses Xelpros to Sun Pharma

Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd. and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that SPARC has licensed out Xelpros (Latanoprost BAK-free eye drops) to a subsidiary of Sun Pharma for the US market. In addition to up-front payment of US$3 million, SPARC will receive certain other milestone payments, both totaling to US$16 million from Sun Pharma. It is also eligible for certain defined royalties and additional milestone payments linked to the actual sales performance of Xelpros. In December 2014, the US FDA had issued a Complete Response letter (CRL) to SPARC for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Latanoprost BAK-free eye drops. This CRL has since been replied to and a response from the US FDA is awaited. 

Sun Pharma has recently appointed Jerry St. Peter as Vice President and Head, Ophthalmology for Sun Pharma’s US business. Jerry has a successful commercial and general management track-record in specialty pharmaceutical companies with an extensive knowledge of the Ophthalmology market. He will lead Sun's Ophthalmic business in the US and will commercialize Xelpros .  

Latanoprost BAK-free is a preservative-free, once-a-day formulation of the glaucoma medication Latanoprost using SPARC’s novel Swollen Micelle Microemulsion (SMM) technology. Unlike conventional glaucoma eye drops, Latanoprost BAK-free does not use BAK as preservative. BAK is known to cause or aggravate Ocular Surface Disease (OSD). Prostaglandin analogues like latanoprost are the first line of treatment for glaucoma. Market estimates place Latanoprost usage at as high as 55% of the US glaucoma market.