WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Er-Kim, an international company specializing in the commercialization of novel therapies for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, today announced it has signed a distribution agreement with the MEDICE Health Family, a developer and provider of innovative, integrated, and multimodal healthcare solutions, to commercialize Vafseo® across Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). Vafseo® (vadadustat) is a once-daily oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitor to treat anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) for patients on chronic maintenance dialysis.
Under the agreement, Er-Kim is appointed as the exclusive distributor in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
“As Er-Kim continues its mission to address global access inequities in pharmaceuticals, we are pleased to announce our partnership with the MEDICE Health Family on Vafseo®, aimed at delivering innovative treatments to patients in the CEE region,” stated Cem Zorlular, CEO of Er-Kim. He added, “Leveraging our leading expertise in nephrology and our established presence in the region, we are committed to providing patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and other kidney conditions with alternative treatment options. This partnership underscores our dedication to enhancing patient outcomes and broadening access to cutting-edge therapies.”
“We’re eager to bring Vafseo® to market across Central & Eastern Europe as we believe dialysis patients with anemia due to CKD could benefit from additional therapeutic options,” said Dr. Richard Ammer, Managing Partner of MEDICE.
About Er-Kim
Established in 1981, Er-Kim stands at the forefront of biopharmaceutical innovation, partnering with over 40 global leaders to revolutionize patient care in key international markets. Our pioneering business models, tailored for sustainability and flexibility, have positioned us as a full-service solution, extending our reach to over 600 million patients through our fully-owned affiliates. With a dedicated team of over 280 professionals worldwide and revenues exceeding EUR 230M, Er-Kim is not just a partner but a trailblazer in healthcare, continually setting new standards in commercialization and patient access. For more information, please visit http://www.er-kim.com/.
About MEDICE – The Health Family
For over 75 years, MEDICE has stood for working together to improve people’s health. As a medium-sized family business in its third generation, the MEDICE Health Family pursues the goal of creating a healthier world by considering and promoting the various dimensions of health – mental/physical, social and ecological – in an all-encompassing way.
Quality ‘Made in Germany’: MEDICE develops and produces high-quality medicinal products and medical devices in the prescription (RX) and self-medication (PCC) sectors at its company sites in Iserlohn and Ringelheim and markets them successfully both nationally and internationally.
The patient is at the center of the MEDICE Health Family’s efforts. In order to further improve patient care, MEDICE uses its pharmacological expertise to develop clinically validated multimodal healthcare solutions that combine pharmaceuticals, digital solutions and nutritional concepts. In this way, the company helps to close gaps in care and supports people at every stage of their illness. This is supported by the establishment of the important pillars Medigital and Medibiom.
The entrepreneurial activities of the MEDICE Health Family are inextricably linked to its social commitment. For decades, MEDICE has not only promoted sport and culture for social health through various (mostly regional) projects, but also the valorization of natural areas and the use of sustainable dispensing articles for ecological health through sustainable4U GmbH, which was founded specifically for this purpose. The values of the MEDICE Health Family – future-focused, value-creating and family-oriented – guide the company here.
Based on its long-standing tradition as a family business, MEDICE – The Health Family aims to play a tangible role in shaping the future of medicine in the coming decade.
About Anemia due to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Anemia is a condition in which a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. It commonly occurs in people with CKD because their kidneys do not produce enough erythropoietin, a hormone that helps regulate production of red blood cells. Anemia due to CKD can have a profound impact on a person’s quality of life as it can cause fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction. Left untreated, anemia leads to deterioration in health and is associated with increased mortality in people with CKD.
About Vadadustat
Vadadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to mimic the physiologic effect of altitude on oxygen availability. At higher altitudes, the body responds to lower oxygen availability with stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor, which can lead to increased red blood cell production and improved oxygen delivery to tissues. In April 2023, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted marketing authorization for vadadustat for the treatment of symptomatic anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in adults on chronic maintenance dialysis.
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Rosalia Scampoli
Marketcom PR
Tel: (914) 815-1465
rscampoli@marketcompr.com
