Menarini Enters into an Exclusive Licensing Agreement with Daiichi Sankyo to Commercialise TARLIGE(R) in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines

SINGAPORE,Aug. 23,2021 --A. Menarini Asia-Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd.,part of the leading Italian global biopharmaceutical company Menarini Group,signed a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to assume the registration,sales,marketing,and distribution of the orally administered gabapentinoid,mirogabalin (brand name; TARLIGE®),in the Philippines,Malaysia and Singapore.

TARLIGE® was developed and is currently marketed in Japan by Daiichi Sankyo Company,Limited ("Daiichi Sankyo") and is indicated for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP),including diabetic PNP and post-herpetic neuralgia. The drug binds to and modulates the alpha 2 delta-1 subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channels widely found in the nervous system in areas that mediate pain transmission and processing.

Neuropathic pain,which refers to pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system,has been shown to be prevalent in the general population by as much as 7 to 8 percent[1]. Patients with neuropathic pain are more susceptible to high pain intensity with more comorbidities,such as depression panic/anxiety disorder,and sleep disorders[2].

"The Menarini Group already has an on-going global partnership with Daiichi Sankyo and the partnership on TARLIGE® is another important milestone for us. This is a strategic move to complement our established portfolio of pain products that cover acute to chronic and cancer pain. Menarini Asia-Pacific is committed to helping alleviate pain and delivering treatment solutions to address the unmet needs of patients in this region," said Maurizio Luongo,CEO of Menarini Asia-Pacific.

[1]Didier Bouhassira,Michel Lantéri-Minet,Nadine Attal,Bernard Laurent,Chantal Touboul (2008) Prevalence of chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics in the general population,PAIN,136:3,380-387,DOI: j.pain.2007.08.013

[2]Rainer Freynhagen,Ralf Baron,Ulrich Gockel & Thomas R. Tölle (2006) painDETECT: a new screening questionnaire to identify neuropathic components in patients with back pain,Current Medical Research and Opinion,22:10,1911-1920,DOI: 10.1185/030079906X132488

About Menarini Asia-Pacific

Menarini Asia-Pacific is a member of the Menarini Group,the world's largest Italian biopharmaceutical company with a heritage of over 130 years and over 17,000 employees in more than 140 countries. Here in Asia-Pacific,Menarini's vision is to be a leading provider of important healthcare brands to improve the lives of people in the region. Menarini Asia-Pacific operates across the entire commercial value chain,from clinical development,regulatory approval,and product launch to lifecycle management with a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered brands in key therapeutic fields,including Consumer Health,Dermatology,Allergy/Respiratory,Gastroenterology,Cardio-metabolic,Anti-infectives,Oncology/Specialty Care and Men's Health. For the Financial Year 2020,the Menarini Group clocked sales revenues of US 4.6 billion dollars,of which the Asia Pacific region has grown to become a dynamic engine of growth for the Group with more than 10% revenue contribution.

For more information,visit www.menariniapac.com