BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dyax Corp. (NASDAQ: DYAX) has granted exclusive distribution rights to taiba ME (taiba) for the use of Kalbitor in the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) within the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya and Iran. Collectively, the population covered by this agreement is more than 100 million people and thus represents a significant expansion of global access to Kalbitor. Dyax and taiba will share profits on Kalbitor sales within the licensed territory.
“taiba’s track record of successful commercialization of orphan products within the region for globally leading orphan and rare disease companies makes them an excellent partner for Dyax and, most importantly, for bringing Kalbitor to HAE patients within a part of the world with great unmet medical need for an effective HAE therapy,” said Gustav Christensen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dyax.
“We are excited to add Kalbitor to our portfolio of orphan drugs treating rare diseases and we believe Kalbitor will offer HAE patients an important new treatment option,” said Saif Al Hasani, Managing Director of taiba. “Using our extensive experience in the orphan drug space we can rapidly and effectively engage relevant stakeholders to increase awareness of both HAE and Kalbitor.”
taiba expects to make Kalbitor available in their territories this year.
About KALBITOR® (ecallantide)
KALBITOR is a plasma kallikrein inhibitor indicated for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients 16 years of age and older. KALBITOR, which was discovered and developed by Dyax, is the first subcutaneous treatment available in the U.S. for treating acute HAE attacks.
About HAE
Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare acute inflammatory condition characterized by episodes of severe, often painful swelling affecting the extremities, gastrointestinal tract, genitalia, and larynx. HAE is caused by low or dysfunctional levels of C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), a naturally occurring molecule that inhibits plasma kallikrein, a key mediator of inflammation, and other serine proteases in the blood. HAE is estimated to affect 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 individuals. Learn more at www.HAEHope.com.
About Dyax
Dyax is a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel biotherapeutics for unmet medical needs. The Company’s lead product, ecallantide, has been approved under the brand name KALBITOR® in the United States for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients 16 years of age and older.
Dyax is commercializing KALBITOR in the United States independently, and establishing strategic collaborations to develop and commercialize ecallantide for the treatment of HAE in key regions worldwide. Currently, Dyax has collaboration agreements for regions including Europe, Japan, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (excluding Argentina, Brazil and Mexico) and the Caribbean. The company is also exploring other potential indications for ecallantide, either alone or through collaborations, including drug-induced angioedema.
Ecallantide and other compounds in Dyax’s pipeline were identified using its patented phage display technology, which rapidly selects compounds that bind with high affinity and specificity to therapeutic targets. Dyax leverages this technology broadly through the Licensing and Funded Research Program (LFRP). Collectively, LFRP agreements generate significant revenue for Dyax in the form of license fees, milestone payments and/or royalties. The success of the Company’s LFRP is illustrated by the program’s advanced licensee pipeline that includes 18 candidates in clinical development. Of those candidates, four are in Phase 3 clinical trials, four are in Phase 2 and ten are in Phase 1.
Dyax is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. For online information about Dyax Corp., please visit www.dyax.com.