Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the acquisition of Vaprisol from Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
Vaprisol is a patented, prescription brand indicated to raise serum sodium levels in hospitalized patients with hyponatremia. The product was developed and registered by Astellas and was commercially launched in 2006. It is one of two branded prescription products indicated for the treatment of hyponatremia.
Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which sodium ion concentration in blood plasma is lower than normal. This can be associated with a variety of critical care conditions including congestive heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure and pneumonia.
“Hyponatremia has been recently recognized to be a significant electrolyte disturbance associated with both acute and long-term consequences, even in cases that would have been previously been considered mild,” said Theresa Human, Pharm.D, BCPS, Neuroscience Clinical Specialist, Barnes-Jewish Hospital-St. Louis, Washington University. “It is exciting to have a pharmaceutical company committed to support the education of this underemphasized electrolyte disorder and the therapeutic options available to effectively treat these patients.” Under the terms of the agreement, Cumberland will assume full responsibility for the product including its marketing, distribution and manufacture. Cumberland will promote Vaprisol across the United States through its hospital sales force, which also features its Caldolor and Acetadote brands.
“We believe Vaprisol is an excellent strategic fit with our focus on hospital acute care,” said A.J. Kazimi, Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. “Our immediate plan for Vaprisol is to ensure a smooth transition of the product supply and medical support to current users of the brand. We will then launch our hospital promotion support and are very optimistic about the opportunity that Vaprisol will offer Cumberland.”
