Summit links with Taiwan firm for lead product
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Summithas reached an agreement with the Taiwanese firm Orient Pharma to co-develop a buccal formulation of its lead product SMT D001. An oral formulation of the product, a combination of two marketed products with dry mouth as a side-effect, is in Phase II trials for sialorrhoea (excessive drooling) in Parkinson's disease patients. However, Summit has now suspended recruitment in this programme and will switch to the buccal formulation for future trials. Orient, a subsidiary ofOrient Europharma, will fund the development of the buccal formulation and also gains exclusive development and commercialisation rights in Asia and Australasia as part of the tie-up. It will cover all future costs related to the product in its territories, with Summit retaining rights in the rest of the world, where the UK firm is seeking partners.