By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia

The multinational pharmaceutical company, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC(Hikma), has announced that it has recently signed an exclusive licencing agreement with AFT Pharmaceuticals (AFT) for the registration and commercialization of Combogesic® IV, an intravenous, opioid-free pain relief medicine for the short term symptomatic treatment of acute pain in adults and the reduction of fever, in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq. It is a patented intravenous formulation of Paracetamol 1000mg + Ibuprofen 300mg solution for infusion.

The new agreement provides Hikma with exclusive rights for the commercialisation of Combogesic® IV in the three countries. A similar agreement has been previously signed with AFT Pharmaceuticals in the US market and the launch of Combogesic® IV in the US market has been announced earlier this month.

Hikma’s Executive Vice Chairman and President of MENA, Mazen Darwazah said: “Our agreement with AFT Pharmaceuticals for Combogesic® IV – animportant alternative for the treatment of acute painand fever– isan important milestonein delivering on our purpose of putting better health, within reach, every day. As a leading healthcare company in MENA, we continue to expand our pipeline in growing therapeutic areasand are committed to partnerships with global players to expand our portfolio of high-quality medicines to patients in the region.”