PORTO, Portugal, 18 February – BIAL announces the end of the licence agreement established in 2009. BIAL takes the lead for the marketing and distribution of Zebinix® (eslicarbazepine acetate) in Europe. Eslicarbazepine acetate is a once-daily anti-epileptic used to treat epilepsy patients with focal seizures (partial-onset seizures)
For over a decade, BIAL and Eisai have had an agreement in place for Eisai to market, promote, and distributeeslicarbazepine acetate in Europe. Following the end of this partnership, BIAL will take the lead for the ongoing marketing, promotion and distribution in Europe. This move reinforces its continued commitment to and ongoing investment in neurological conditions.
BIAL has over 10 years of experience of delivering life-improving medicines for neurological conditions such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Eslicarbazepine acetate was the first medicine discovered and developed by BIAL. Epilepsy has a high prevalence with 6 million people affected in Europe and 15 million Europeans estimated to experience a seizure at some time in their life1. Each month over 90,000 people with epilepsy around the world benefit from eslicarbazepine acetate to meet their treatment needs.
BIAL has worked closely with the relevant organisations from around Europe to put in place all the supply, quality and pharmacovigilance processes that are needed to ensure a seamless transition for both healthcare professionals and patients. All required drug safety and medicine continuity measures have been secured to ensure an uninterrupted treatment supply for all those who need it.
“Following a constructive partnership with Eisai, we are excited to be taking the lead on the commercialisation of eslicarbazepine acetate in Europe”, stated José Almeida Bastos, Chief Commercial Officer of BIAL. “It was the first medicine to be developed through BIAL’s own research and is a valuable part of our portfolio as we continue to expand into new territories, building on our established heritage and making life better for all those affected by epilepsy.”
Neil West, Vice President EMEA, Global Neurology Business Unit from Eisai, also commented, “We have enjoyed working alongside BIAL, providing our extensive commercialisation experience for the marketing and distribution of this important treatment. We believe eslicarbazepine acetate has made a real difference to patients’ lives during this period and are proud of our contribution.”
