11/27/2014

Aachen, Germany, November 27, 2014. Grünenthal announced the termination of the license agreement with Actavis for the development and commercialization of Cebranopadol, a novel analgesic for the treatment of chronic pain.

Grünenthal continues the clinical program as planned

Actavis’ subsidiary Forest Laboratories Ireland Limited and Grünenthal GmbH had entered into a license agreement on Cebranopadol in December 2010. This agreement included the co-development and commercialization of Cebranopadol (GRT6005), with exclusive rights for Actavis in the United States and Canada, while Grünenthal held the rights in Europe and the rest of the world.

Grünenthal continues the development program as planned. The termination of the license agreement does not have any impact on the enrollment status of patients who are currently participating in the ongoing clinical trials in Europe and the US.

“We will work with Actavis to fully transition the development activities under the license agreement”, said Klaus-Dieter Langner, PhD, Grünenthal Chief Scientific Officer. “We will continue the development of Cebranopadol to define the best direction for this innovative compound.”

About Cebranopadol
Cebranopadol is a novel small molecule analgesic which was discovered by Grünenthal GmbH, Germany. Cebranopadol represents a novel first-in-class molecule with unique pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles¹. Cebranopadol is currently in phase IIb clinical development in USA and Europe for the treatment of chronic pain with currently about 2.000 patients treated.

Reference
¹ Linz K, Christoph T, Tzschentke TM, Koch T et al. Cebranopadol: a Novel Potent Analgesic Nociceptin / Orphanin FQ Peptide and Opioid Receptor Agonist. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2014; 349 (3): 535-548.

About Grünenthal
The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Building on its unique position in pain treatment, its objective is to become the most patient-centric company in the field of pain and thus to be a leader in therapy innovation.
Grünenthal is one of the last five remaining research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany which sustainably invests in research and development. Research and development costs amounted to about 27 percent of revenues in 2013. Grünenthal’s research and development strategy concentrates on selected fields of therapy and state-of-the-art technologies. We are intensely focused on discovering new ways to treat pain better and more effectively, with fewer side-effects than current therapies. Altogether, the Grünenthal Group has affiliates in 25 countries worldwide. Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,500 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2013, Grünenthal achieved revenues of €901 mn.
More information: www.grunenthal.com.

• Grünenthal Announces Termination of License Agreement with Actavis for the Development of Cebranopadol  (pdf, 93 KB)