Benzinga | Oct 1, 2020 09:04AM EDT

Antares Pharma Reports Exclusive License Deal With Ferring Pharma For Nocdurna In US

Antares Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRS) ("the Company"), a pharmaceutical technology company, today announced that it entered into an exclusive license agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals ("Ferring"), a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group, for the marketed product NOCDURNA(r) (desmopressin acetate), which is indicated for the treatment of nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria in adults who awaken at least two times per night to urinate, in the United States (U.S).

"This license agreement for NOCDURNA immediately expands our urology portfolio, which already includes XYOSTED, the best-selling branded testosterone replacement product in the United States. With a launch expected later in the fourth quarter, we look forward to leveraging the urology office call points of our 90-person national sales force and believe the significant overlap enhances execution efficiency and may provide for similar success in NOCDURNA as XYOSTED. Furthermore, we believe NOCDURNA supports our commercial strategy to enhance our growth through the expansion of our proprietary product portfolio," said Robert F. Apple, President and Chief Executive Officer of Antares Pharma. "We remain committed to improving patient care and believe nocturnal polyuria is a clinically underappreciated disease, which leaves a large untreated patient population and significant unmet medical need."

Ferring commercially launched NOCDURNA(r) in late 2018 upon approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2018 as the first and only rapidly dissolving sublingual tablet that treats adult patients with nocturia, who awaken at least two times per night to urinate, due to nocturnal polyuria (NP). More than 70 million people in the U.S. are affected by nocturia. NP is present in up to 88% of nocturia patients. Patients may already be taking medication for overactive bladder (OAB) or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); however, these medications may not reduce night-time urination because they do not treat NP. In patients diagnosed with NP, the kidneys produce too much urine at night, which can lead to frequent night-time bathroom visits and can be very disruptive to sleep.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ferring received an upfront payment of $5.0 million upon execution and will be paid an additional $2.5 million at one year from execution and is eligible for tiered royalties and additional commercial milestone payments potentially totalling up to $17.5 million based on net sales of NOCDURNA(r) in the United States.

NOCDURNA(r) is patent-protected with Orange Book-listed patents in the United States with varying expirations through 2030.