ARIAD Announces Deal For Iclusig In Latin America, Middle East/North Africa

(RTTNews) - ARIAD Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARIA) announced that it has completed two distribution agreements for Iclusig (ponatinib) outside of the United States. In Latin America, ARIAD and Pint Pharma International S.A., a company focused on treatments for patients in Latin America with cancer, rare diseases, and genetic disorders, have entered into an agreement for Pint Pharma to commercialize Iclusig in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

ARIAD noted that it has also entered into a separate agreement with Biologix FZCo., a distributor of specialty pharmaceuticals in the Middle East region, for Biologix to commercialize Iclusig in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Coast Countries, Lebanon, and selected other countries in the region.

Pint Pharma has received exclusive rights to commercialize Iclusig following regulatory approval in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, with the potential of adding other Latin American countries in the future. ARIAD and Pint have agreed to collaborate to submit marketing authorization approvals in the countries in the Territory. In addition, Pint has agreed to sell Iclusig as an investigational product on a named patient basis in certain countries in the territory where permitted prior to regulatory approval.

In exchange for these rights, ARIAD will receive upfront and potential regulatory milestone payments totaling $15 million. ARIAD will also receive more than 50 percent of net product sales in the Territory through a product supply transfer price.

The terms of the distribution agreement include an option for an acquirer of ARIAD to buy-back the rights to Iclusig in the Territory following three years from the effective date of the distribution agreement by making specified payments.

Biologix has received exclusive rights to commercialize Iclusig in Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and several other countries in the region. In the initial phase of the agreement, Biologix has agreed to sell Iclusig as an investigational product on a named patient basis in certain countries in the territory where permitted prior to regulatory approval, and thereafter to commercialize Iclusig in those countries in which regulatory approval is achieved.

As per the terms of the distribution agreement, ARIAD will receive more than 50 percent of net product sales in the territory through a product supply transfer price. The agreement also includes an option for an acquirer of ARIAD to buy-back the rights to Iclusig in the territory following three years from the effective date of the distribution agreement by making specified payments.