California-based Zogenix announced a partnership with Astellas to co-promote Sumavel DosePro, a subcutaneous injection for migraine relief.
Approved in July, Sumavel DosePro (sumatriptan injection) will be commercially available in January 2010, with “a broad mix of marketing elements” to follow, according to Catherine O’Connor, senior director, commercial communications at Zogenix.
Roughly 100 sales reps from Zogenix will focus on detailing neurologists, with Astellas’s sales force tasked with primary care physicians, O’Connor said, adding that the specifics of the campaign are still being worked out. Compensation for sales forces at Zogenix and Astellas will be based on performance within their respective prescriber audiences, according to a company release. There will be consumer marketing elements, O’Connor verified. Zogenix is responsible for manufacturing and distribution of the product.
Edelman is handling public relations and digital work on Sumavel DosePro, with The CementWorks assigned to other marketing materials, according to O’Connor.
Sumavel DosePro is billed as a “first-of-its-kind needle-free delivery system,” indicated for the acute treatment of migraine attacks and cluster headache episodes. Sumatriptan is also the active ingredient in GlaxoSmithKline’s Imitrex injection, which faced a patent expiry last February. O’Connor wrote in an email that Sumavel DosePro differs from Imitrex by way of its patented needle-free delivery system, which is a pre-filled, single use product.
Nearly 30 million Americans, primarily women ages 25 to 40, suffer from migraines, according to National Headache Foundation data cited in the release.
