Unilife grants Sanofi long-term exclusivity subject to Sanofi purchasing 150 million Unifill syringes per year following a four-year ramp-up
Unilife to receive a minimum of $5 million and up to $15 million in milestone-based payments
YORK, Pa., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Unilife Corporation ("Unilife" or "Company") (NASDAQ: UNIS, ASX: UNS), a U.S. based designer, developer and manufacturer of injectable drug delivery systems, today announced the signing of a long-term supply contract with Sanofi.
Unilife has agreed to supply Sanofi with the Unifill Finesse™, a customized device from its Unifill® platform of prefilled syringes with automatic, needle retraction, for use with the anti-thrombotic therapy Enoxaparin Sodium sold under the brand names Lovenox® and Clexane® ("Lovenox"). The contract period can extend up to 2024.
Unilife has granted Sanofi the exclusive use of the Unifill Finesse with anti-thrombotic drugs during the contract period. Following a four year ramp-up period after market entry, exclusivity will be maintained, subject to Sanofi purchasing a minimum of 150 million units of the Unifill Finesse or other Unifill syringes per year.
Unilife can supply its Unifill syringes, including the Unifill Finesse, to additional customers in all other therapeutic classes outside of anti-thrombotics.
In addition to future revenue from the sale of Unifill Finesse syringes, Unilife may receive up to $15 million from Sanofi in milestones based payments with $5 million of these payments expected in 2013.
This supply contract replaces and supersedes all other agreements previously signed between both parties regarding the Unifill syringe platform. For commercial purposes and due to confidentiality clauses in the Agreement, additional terms of the contract are to remain confidential.
Comments by Alan Shortall, CEO of Unilife
"Our Unifill syringes set a new standard for the delivery of all prefilled biologics, drugs and vaccines. Like other game-changing products in our broad device portfolio, the distinctive visual, safety and functional benefits of Unifill can be leveraged by pharmaceutical customers to enhance and differentiate their injectable therapies. We thank the Sanofi Industrial organization for their innovative vision and their support, and look forward to a long-term partnership."
"The signing of this supply contract reaffirms the business model we have worked so hard in pursuing. The long-term contract provides the customer with continuity of supply. The provision of exclusivity within a drug class also provides the customer with an opportunity to leverage our device's competitive advantages to drive user preference and differentiate their drug brands against competitors," Mr. Shortall concluded.