[Pharm-policy] IVAX/BMS 1999 collaboration agreement

[James Love]

The Taxol/Paclitaxel story has many strange twists, including, for
example, this 1999 collaboration agreement between IVAX and BMS, the two
companies currently battling over generic Paclitaxel. Jamie
 

http://www.pharmalicensing.com/news/headlines/943401875_383b2b9327968

Tuesday, 19 September 2000 

           IVAX signs collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb

           IVAX Corporation has entered into a product collaboration and
development services agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS)
in the areas of inhalation technology and oncology. 

           IVAX subsidiaries and BMS will collaborate to develop one or
more of Bristol-Myers Squibb's proprietary molecules for use with IVAX's
patented inhalation devices, primarily for the treatment of asthma.
Bristol-Myers Squibb will retain worldwide rights to market respiratory
products containing its compounds. BMS will purchase the devices that
IVAX will manufacture from IVAX on terms to be agreed upon. 

           In the field of oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, which markets
paclitaxel for injection under the brand name Taxol for the treatment of
various forms of cancer, has been granted an option to license IVAX's
patented system for the oral administration of paclitaxel on terms to be
agreed upon. Additionally, each party has agreed to respect the other's
lawful data protection rights in its marketing of paclitaxel in the
European Union, where IVAX recently received approval of its proprietary
Paxene (paclitaxel injection) product to treat AIDS-related Kaposi's
sarcoma. 

           The initial term of the agreement is three years. The
agreement may be terminated under certain specified circumstances.
Subject to the possible events of termination, the payments to be
received during the term of the agreement could be significant to IVAX. 

           Dr. Phillip Frost, chairman and CEO of IVAX Corporation,
commented, "This collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb
utilizes the combination of our innovative, award-winning, patented
inhalation devices and Bristol-Myers Squibb's next-generation  asthma
molecules to create respiratory products of major commercial
significance. Further, the possibility of a collaboration with
Bristol-Myers Squibb in developing and commercializing our oral system
for administering paclitaxel, the most important oncology drug in the
world, is another significant step in the advancement of IVAX's oncology
program." 

           (24 Nov 1999)

-- 
James Love  mailto:love@cptech.org http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
voice 1.202.387.8030  fax  1.202.234.5176