TOKYO, Japan, February 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sosei Group Corporation ("Sosei"; TSE Mothers Index: 4565), the biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Sosei Co., Ltd., its wholly owned Japanese subsidiary, was granted approval for its emergency contraceptive pill, NorLevo(R) TABLETS 0.75mg, by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). NorLevo(R) has thus become the fist emergency contraceptive pill available in Japan.
NorLevo(R) is an oral emergency contraceptive, which is taken within 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Its active ingredient, levonorgestrel, is listed as an essential drug by WHO.
Sosei acquired the exclusive distribution rights to the product in Japan and Australia from Laboratoire HRA Pharma in April 2001. NorLevo(R) was first launched in Europe in 1999 and is currently approved in some 50 countries.
According to the distribution agreement, which Sosei signed with ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in November 2009, ASKA will be responsible for commercialization of NorLevo(R) in Japan and is expected to launch the product in the middle of May 2011.
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About Sosei
Sosei is an international biopharmaceutical company anchored in Japan with a global reach. It practises a reduced risk business model by acquiring compounds from, and bringing compounds into, Japan through exploitation of its unique position within global markets.
For further information about Sosei, please visit http://www.sosei.com.
About HRA Pharma
HRA Pharma is a privately-held European pharmaceutical company that designs products, devices and supporting services in niche areas of health and makes them available to doctors and patients worldwide. The company targets therapeutic gaps in the areas of reproductive health and endocrinology and uses innovative marketing solutions and socially-conscious programs to promote healthy management of drugs and diseases. Headquartered in Paris, France and with offices throughout Europe, HRA Pharma has built a strong network of R&D, manufacturing, distribution and NGO partners which enables it to satisfy critical patient needs and improve patient health in over 50 countries across the globe. Visit www.hra-pharma.com for more information.
About ASKA
Based on the corporate mission, "Contribute toward the improvement of people's health and progress in medicine through the development of innovative products," ASKA Pharmaceutical, as a focused research and development (R&D) oriented company, concentrates its management resources for the development of new products in defined areas to develop and supply innovative and creative pharmaceutical products that contribute broadly to society. With 934 employees (as of December 2010) ASKA develops and commercializes products in areas of internal medicine (digestive and cardiovascular organs, thyroid glands), urology, otorhinolaryngology, and gynecology and obstetrics.
For further information about ASKA, please visit:
SOURCE Sosei Group Corporation