Eisai, with its US pharmaceutical subsidiary Eisai Inc., has revised an agreement with Arena Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, so that Eisai will acquire all of Arena’s rights to develop and market Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), a chronic weight- management drug. This new agreement revises a November 2013 marketing and supply pact between the companies.

Under the latest agreement, Eisai becomes solely responsible for all decision-making and implementation related to global development and submissions for regulatory approvals as well as global marketing for Belviq. The previously negotiated financial terms, such as purchase price based on net sales and regulatory and sales milestones to Arena, have also been reduced and modified. In addition, the new agreement includes a technology transfer to allow Eisai to participate in the manufacture of Belviq.

Eisai will also assume Arena’s exclusive distribution agreements with third-parties to develop and market Belviq in South Korea, Taiwan, and Israel. Eisai will now serve as the third parties’ exclusive supplier and will receive payment for the supply of product to the distributors.

Belviq was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012 as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management. Belviq was also made available in South Korea in 2015 via a third-party distributor contracted by Arena. In 2016, lorcaserin, the active ingredient in Belviq, was approved in both Brazil and Mexico, and will be launched in Mexico under the brand name Venespri. An once-daily formulation, Belviq XR, was approved in the US in 2016.

Source: Eisai