Eisai to transfer its global epilepsy drug manufacturing to UK

Hannah Blake

pharmaphorum

Japanese pharmaceutical company, Eisai, has announced that its UK production facility has received its license for solid dose manufacture of its anti-epilepsy medication, Fycompa (perampanel).

Fycompa was first launched globally in the UK on 12th September 2012, after being approved by the European Commission. Manufacturing of this drug will now take place at Eisai’s £100 million, purpose-built EMEA and Russia headquarters in Hatfield, UK. Fycompa will be supplied across the world from this site, which is the first global supply site of a medicine for Eisai, that is outside of Japan.

“This exciting announcement reaffirms Eisai’s commitment to and recognition of the unique Life Sciences environment present in the UK today. Manufacturing Fycompa in Hatfield bucks a general trend of decline for pharmaceutical manufacturing in this country. It has now become unusual for a company to discover, develop, manufacture and launch a new medicine in the UK. If we want to reverse this trend there is an increasing need for the NHS to embrace these new therapies, encouraging better patient outcomes, and faster uptake of new medicines. Commercial and competitive price freedom around a new product’s launch is vital to tackle traditionally low and slow patient access to innovative medicines.”

Gary Hendler, President and CEO of Eisai EMEA &amp, Russia.

Eisai is aiming to be the number one epilepsy company by sales by 2015. With four marketed anti-epileptic drugs, the Japanese company already markets the most epilepsy products in Europe than any other company. Its sales of Fycompa, to treat partial epilepsy, are expected to top 500 million US dollars in the next three years.