Nastech Pharmaceutical

Drug Store News, Feb 17, 2003

Nastech Pharmaceutical has agreed to reacquire from Pharmacia all developing and marketing rights of an experimental impotence drug in an effort to please U.S. antitrust regulators concerned about Pharmacia's pending merger with Pfizer. Pfizer markets the leading impotence drug Viagra, which reached sales of $1 billion in the United States for 2002, the company reported.

Under the agreement, Nastech will reacquire intranasal apomorphine for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction. Nastech will receive $13.5 million from Pharmacia.

Pfizer and Pharmacia expect to complete their merger agreement later this quarter.