Er-Kim, an international pharmaceutical company specializing in the commercialization of novel therapies, has extended its exclusive agreement with Danish biopharmaceutical company Ascendis Pharma to commercialize three rare endocrinology disease treatments in selected countries across Eurasia. Er-Kim originally announced its exclusive agreement with Ascendis to distribute these therapies across Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey in January 2024.
Under this agreement extension, Er-Kim is now appointed as the exclusive Ascendis A/S endocrinology rare disease representative in the additional countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The therapies included in the portfolio are SKYTROFA (lonapegsomatropin), YORVIPATH (palopegteriparatide), and TransCon CNP (navepegritide).
Once-weekly SKYTROFA (lonapegsomatropin) is a human growth hormone (hGH) approved in the European Union for growth failure in children and adolescents aged from 3 to 18 years due to insufficient endogenous growth hormone secretion (growth hormone deficiency [GHD]) and in the United States for pediatric patients 1 year and older and have growth failure due to inadequate secretion of growth hormone.
YORVIPATH (palopegteriparatide) is a first-in-class parathyroid hormone (PTH) replacement therapy to treat chronic hypoparathyroidism, a rare and potentially serious condition where the body produces no or abnormally low levels of PTH. It is approved in the European Union as a replacement therapy for the treatment of adults with chronic hypoparathyroidism and in the United States for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism in adults.
A third product – TransCon CNP (navepegritide) – is in clinical development by Ascendis Pharma for the treatment of achondroplasia (ACH), the most common genetic form of skeletal dysplasia and resulting disproportionate short stature, following the completion of pivotal ApproaCH trial.
“We are proud of what we’ve achieved together over the past year and look forward to our expanded collaboration with Ascendis Pharma in broadening the distribution of its rare endocrinology disease therapies to address the significant unmet need for access to treatments in these countries,” stated Mert Zorlular, CFO of Er-Kim.
He added: “Our success in making life-saving treatments available to patients regardless of location, one country at a time, depends on our partnerships with innovative companies such as Ascendis Pharma.”
“At Ascendis Pharma we are driven by our commitment to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients,” said Camilla Harder Hartvig, Ascendis Pharma’s EVP, President Europe & International. “We are therefore pleased to extend our existing partnership with Er-Kim to further broaden patient access to our innovative Endocrinology Rare Disease treatment options across Eurasia.”
