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Sun Pharma and Israel-based Moebius Medical have entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing deal to further develop MM-II, a pharmaceutical candidate for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis. MM-II is a non-opioid product that leverages the physical properties of proprietary liposomes to lubricate arthritic knee joints, thereby reducing friction and wear, consequently leading to joint pain reduction.
MM-II is an intra-articular biolubricant injection which is being developed to provide symptomatic relief of mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis pain. The product is based on patent-protected technology licensed by Moebius Medical from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Hadassah Medical Centre.
“Our agreement with Moebius Medical for an osteoarthritis product is a part of our effort to build a branded product pipeline and enrich our global portfolio for pain products. We are encouraged to further develop MM-II and hope to bring a new innovative treatment to patients suffering from osteoarthritic pain,” said Kirti Ganorkar, global head of business development, Sun Pharma.
Moshe Weinstein, CEO of Moebius Medical, added, “We are proud and excited that Sun Pharma, a leading global pharmaceutical company well positioned to optimally develop and commercialise this product, has chosen Moebius Medical as a partner for building its specialty pipeline, and we look forward to close cooperation as we continue MM-II’s development. Sun Pharma’s investment confirms the potential of our innovative approach to bring effective pain relief to osteoarthritis patients.”
According to the agreement, Sun Pharma will fund further development of Moebius Medical’s lead product, MM-II, and undertake its global commercialisation. To date, Moebius Medical has completed a first-in-man clinical study at Hadassah Medical Center, demonstrating the product’s fast onset of action and its potentially better efficacy and comparable safety for alleviating osteoarthritis pain as compared to hyaluronic acid injection.
Moebius Medical will conduct requisite pre-clinical studies, and will assume responsibility for product development and manufacturing through the end of phase-II studies. Sun Pharma will assume responsibility for further clinical studies, regulatory submissions and product commercialisation. Moebius Medical will receive an upfront payment, development-based and sales-based milestone payments, and tiered royalties on sales from Sun Pharma.
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic health conditions and a leading cause of pain and disability among adults. Global estimates reveal that more than 100 million people are affected by osteoarthritis. More than 20 million people in the US suffer from knee osteoarthritis. Global market for products used for symptomatic relief of knee osteoarthritis pain (like intra-articular hylauronic acid) is about $ 2 billion with 6.5 percent CAGR. US alone accounts for about 40 percent of this market.
