Spedra Now Available For ED Treatment In Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Men in the Asia Pacific seeking erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment may now have SPEDRA as an alternative avanafil prescription. This follows a licensing agreement between Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) and Singapore-based A. Menarini Asia-Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd (Menarini AP) to commercialise and promote SPEDRA in the region. Menarini AP will receive exclusive licensing rights from MTPC to market avanafil in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. "Menarini AP is an ideal partner in this region. With its extensive reach to physicians and urologists/andrologists in the region, strong core values and established track record in product launch, we are delighted to partner with Menarini AP," MTPC President and Representative Director Masayuki Mitsuka said in a statement Friday. MTPC is a research-driven pharmaceutical company based in Osaka, Japan. Menarini Group has already been licensed to market this product in over 40 European countries, plus Australia and New Zealand. SPEDRA is a new and innovative phosphodiesterase–5 inhibitor (PDE5-i) approved by the European Commission in June 2013 for the treatment of ED. In the US, the FDA approved avanafil in April 2012 for the same indication, under the trade name STENDRA. "The Asia Pacific ED market is poised to grow strongly in the foreseeable future, driven by improvements in diagnosis rates, patients' affordability and improvements in access to quality healthcare. "SPEDRA is a welcome addition to our men's health portfolio as it represents an innovative treatment option for men with ED due to its unique pharmacological characteristics and rapid onset of action. "Together with Priligy, the first approved drug for premature ejaculation (PE), Menarini AP has further consolidated its presence in the men's health space in the region," said Menarini AP Chief Executive Officer Dr Luca Lastrucci. Avanafil is a second generation, highly selective and potent PDE5 inhibitor. Due to its unique pharmacokinetic profile, avanafil has shown to be efficacious within about 15 minutes of dosing in most patients, thus representing the only PDE5-I approved in Europe to be taken 15 to 30 minutes before sexual activity. Along with the fast onset of action, avanafil has shown a good tolerability profile with a low incidence of class-related adverse events in clinical trials. -- BERNAMA