Tercica Signs International Distribution Agreements for Increlex
Wednesday June 14, 4:15 pm ET
Increlex to Be Sold in the Arab Gulf Countries and Taiwan
BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2006--Tercica, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRCA - News) today announced that it has signed distribution agreements with Biologix FZ Co. and Giddi Pharma Co. to begin distributing Increlex(TM) (mecasermin (rDNA origin) injection) in 17 Middle East and North African countries, and Taiwan, respectively. The first commercial shipment of Increlex to Taiwan was made June 12, 2006.
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Tercica's Increlex is the only product that is FDA-approved in the United States for the long-term treatment of severe Primary IGFD. In December 2005, Tercica submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for approval to market Increlex in the European Union (EU) for the same indication.
"We are executing on our plan to expand access to Increlex by making it available globally to children whose growth failure is caused by severe Primary IGFD. These are children who cannot be expected to respond adequately to exogenous growth hormone treatment," said Chris Rivera, senior vice president of Commercial Operations at Tercica. "Approximately 60 severe Primary IGFD patients have already been identified by physicians in the Middle East, North Africa and Taiwan as candidates for Increlex therapy. We look forward to working with leading biopharmaceutical distributors in these regions where the FDA's approval of Increlex is expected to be recognized, and we are pleased to have an opportunity to provide these children with Increlex," said Rivera.
"We are also very excited to begin our relationship with Tercica, and to represent Increlex in the Middle East & North Africa," said Nabil Ghorayeb, Marketing & Sales director of Biologix. "We believe that there is truly an unmet medical need for children with severe Primary IGFD in the countries that we represent, and we look forward to bringing Increlex to them."
Louis Chiang, president of Giddi Pharma, Co. Ltd., said, "We are pleased about adding Increlex to our product portfolio and to be working with Tercica. Based on our current estimates, we believe there are many children in Taiwan who will benefit from Increlex."
About Biologix
Biologix is a leading distributor for a number of products from leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Biogen-Idec and Cephalon in 17 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Biologix is focused on the sales and marketing of products in specific therapeutic areas such as endocrinology, neurology, oncology, dermatology and infectious diseases.
About Giddi Pharma Co
Privately held Giddi Pharma Co, Ltd., founded in 1995, is a leading specialty medication and orphan drug company in Taiwan focusing on the areas of endocrinology, hematology, nephrology, oncology and metabolic diseases. Giddi seeks to introduce innovative products by forming strategic alliances with global principles including Baxter, Biomarin, Genzyme, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, and others, committing superior knowledge and experience, and offering premium customer care for its clients earning it the Rare Disease Medication Contribution Award from the Department of Health of Taiwan each of the last five years.
