Elevar Therapeutics, Inc. (“Elevar”), a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company built on the promise of elevating treatment experiences and outcomes for patients who have limited or inadequate therapeutic options, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with taiba Middle East FZ LLC (“taiba”) under which taiba will commercialize and distribute Apealea® (paclitaxel micellar) in certain countries throughout the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Apealea has been approved by the European regulatory authorities for use in combination with carboplatin for the treatment of adult patients with first relapse of platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer, primary peritoneal cancer and fallopian tube cancer.
“We are pleased to partner with taiba for the registration and commercialization of Apealea® (paclitaxel micellar) in the Middle East and North Africa, which marks the beginning of our expansion to global markets,” said Alex Kim, chief executive officer of Elevar Therapeutics. “Regional partners with strong experience in oncology and well-established local relationships, such as taiba, are an integral part of our strategy to grow our portfolio and elevate treatment experiences and outcomes for patients. If regulatory approval is obtained, Apealea will be the first Cremophor free formulation of paclitaxel approved for use in ovarian cancer in the MENA region.”
Under the terms of the agreement, taiba will be responsible for managing named-patient requests through which physicians can legally and ethically prescribe Apealea for patients prior to commercial availability. Taiba will be responsible for sales, marketing, medical and distribution in this region. The partnership agreement will include royalties and arrangements for manufacturing and supply.
“Taiba is committed to providing people of the MENA region with access to high quality treatments like Apealea® (paclitaxel micellar), which has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for patients with limited treatment options,” said Dr. Saif-Al Hasani, chief executive officer of taiba. “We are pleased to add Apealea to our distinguished portfolio of treatments and we look forward to partnering with Elevar to help bring Apealea to patients and their healthcare providers throughout the MENA region.”