Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inks Deal To Promote Merck's Januvia

(RTTNews) - Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AVNR) Monday said it has signed a multi-year agreement with Merck (MRK) to co-promote Merck's type 2 diabetes therapies Januvia (sitagliptin) in the long-term care institutional setting in the US.

"As a company dedicated to the advancement of diabetes care, we are excited to partner with Avanir to help improve diabetes management and offer our type 2 diabetes therapies to this patient population," said Peter Alberti, U.S. marketing leader, Diabetes, Merck.

Avanir's institutional sales force will promote the sitagliptin family of products to health care practitioners in the long-term care institutional setting beginning in October 2013. Avanir will be compensated via a fixed fee plus an incentive-based payment.