Denmark-based Zealand Pharma has announced that the first LixiLan Phase III trial protocol has been approved, triggering a $15m payment from Sanofi.

The payment was made by Sanofi under a licensing agreement with Zealand Pharma covering Lyxumia (lixisenatide) and any combination product including lixisenatide.

Discovered by Zealand, lixisenatide is intended for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Under the deal, worldwide development and commercial rights to the product are exclusively licensed to Sanofi.

"This news is fully in line with Sanofi’s expectations to start Phase III development in the first quarter of 2014."

LixiLan is a once-daily single injection Lantus (basal insulin) / Lyxumia (lixisenatide) combination product and the Phase III development is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2014.

Further to the start of Phase III development of LixiLan, Sanofi also confirmed that Lyxumia is being introduced progressively in a larger number of countries as a new once-daily prandial GLP-1 agonist therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The company said that as well as its pronounced effect on lowering meal related glucose (post-prandial glucose, PPG), Lyxumia has a beneficial effect on body weight and has a limited risk of hypoglycemia.

Zealand Pharma chief executive officer David Solomon said: "This news is fully in line with Sanofi’s expectations to start Phase III development in the first quarter of 2014.

"Zealand believes that the combination of Lyxumia with Lantus, Sanofi’s blockbuster product and the worldwide-leading basal insulin, into one single device has an exciting potential, in our view also adding to the validation of the therapeutic relevance of Lyxumia, the first Zealand invented product on the market."

As part of the licensing deal, Zealand is eligible to receive $160m in remaining milestones from Sanofi.

In addition, Zealand will receive tiered low double-digit percentage royalties on Sanofi’s global sales of Lyxumia and fixed low double-digit percentage royalties on global full net sales of the Lyxumia/Lantus combination product.