Established and trusted contraceptive brand joins Searchlight's growing portfolio in Canada that includes first-of-its kind combined oral contraceptive Nextstellis®, vaginal contraceptive ring Haloette™, and non-hormonal Mona Lisa® IUD line
BUDAPEST, Hungary and MONTREAL, May 12, 2022 /CNW/ - Gedeon Richter Plc. ("Richter") and Searchlight Pharma Inc. ("Searchlight") are pleased to announce that Searchlight has assumed all Canadian distribution and promotional activities for Evra®, a transdermal contraceptive patch. This transition, which covers regulatory, distribution and promotional responsibilities in Canada, stems from the acquisition of ex-US rights to the Evra® brand by Richter from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, in December 2020. Patients across Canada who trust and rely on Evra® as their method of contraception can have continued confidence in access and supply given this recently concluded transaction. According to IQVIA CDH data, the Evra® patch generated CAD $12 million in sales in Canada in the 2021 calendar year.
"Canadian women have long trusted the efficacy and safety of the Evra® patch, as demonstrated by the brand's durable share of the contraceptive market," said Mark Nawacki, President & CEO of Searchlight Pharma. "Evra® is the only transdermal option in the Canadian market, thereby making it a critical product alternative to the universe of ethinyl estradiol-based pill products in Canada. We're proud to partner with Richter, a company as committed to women's health as Searchlight, to ensure that Canadian women and their health care providers remain empowered and with reliable access to options for the management of their contraceptive needs."
"It is with great satisfaction that we acknowledge the folding out of yet another global success story for Richter's core Women's Healthcare business," – said Erik Bogsch, Executive Chairman of Gedeon Richter. "We are confident that Searchlight Pharma will deliver excellent services to Canadian women embracing this lifestyle product."
Evra® was first approved by Health Canada in 2002 as a once-a-week contraceptive, and to this day remains the first and only transdermal contraceptive patch available to Canadian patients.
Evra® is a square patch that must be applied to the lower abdomen, buttocks, upper torso, or outer upper arm. Each patch is worn for seven days before being replaced, for three weeks. The fourth week is treatment free, as with oral contraceptives.
Searchlight Pharma Inc., headquartered in Montreal, is a leading Canadian-based specialty healthcare company that executes best-in class search, acquisition, commercialization, and focused development of innovative and unique specialty healthcare products. Our core products focus on women's health, urogynecology, and urology, and our team is committed to improving people's lives by bringing the right products to market. Follow us, learn more about what we do, and get to know our product portfolio at www.searchlightpharma.com
Gedeon Richter Plc. (www.gedeonrichter.com), headquartered in Budapest/Hungary, is a major pharmaceutical company in Central Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe, in China and in Latin America. Having reached a market capitalization of EUR 4.4 billion (USD 5.0 billion) by the end of 2021, Richter's consolidated sales were approximately EUR 1.8 billion (USD 2.1 billion) during the same year. The product portfolio of Richter covers many important therapeutic areas, including Women's Healthcare, Central Nervous System and Cardiovascular areas. Having the largest R&D unit in Central Eastern Europe, Richter's original research activity focuses on CNS disorders. With its widely acknowledged steroid chemistry expertise, Richter is a significant player in the Women's Healthcare field worldwide. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development.
SOURCE Searchlight Pharma Inc.
Richter: Investors: Katalin Ördög: +36 1 431 5680; Media: Zsuzsa Beke: +36 1 431 4888; Searchlight: Corporate: Mark Nawacki, CPA, CA, MBA, President & CEO: 514-613-1513, [email protected]
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