CHARLESTON, SC--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2014) - HRA Pharma (www.hra-pharma.com) and Afaxys Pharmaceuticals, a division of Afaxys, Inc. (www.Afaxys.com), announced today that the companies have formed a commercial partnership to supply ulipristal acetate (UPA), a selective progesterone receptor modulator, to the U.S. market. The product is commonly known as ella® in the U.S. where it has been available since 2010.
ella® is a next-generation emergency contraceptive developed by HRA Pharma specifically for emergency contraceptive use. ella® was originally approved as an emergency contraceptive by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2009 and subsequently by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. (Please see full prescribing information: https://pharma.afaxys.com/afaxys/assets/pdf/ella%20SPL%2028Mar14.pdf). It is anticipated that the partnership of these two companies working closely together in the contraceptive field will make ella® more widely available to women all over the U.S.
Afaxys Pharmaceuticals is a unique pharmaceutical company that specializes in serving the public health sector and has a proven track record of success in working with large safety net, family planning organizations including family planning clinics; college and university health centers; community health centers; and city, county, state and federal facilities.(1)
Commenting on the newly formed association between the two organizations, Erin Gainer, CEO of HRA Pharma, said, "We are looking forward to this collaborative relationship that we anticipate to prove successful in improving women's access to ulipristal acetate emergency contraception in the USA. Having the same mission and goals as Afaxys with regards to empowering women with choice and options means we will achieve positive results, together."
CEO of Afaxys, Ronda Dean added, "It is at the heart of the Afaxys business model that we help address the lack of access to affordable contraception for women all over America. We are pleased to add ella® to our portfolio of contraceptive options. We are looking forward to working with HRA Pharma, as it is clear that we have complementary values and a shared commitment to develop awareness of emergency contraceptive options."
About HRA Pharma
HRA Pharma is a privately-held European pharmaceutical company that designs products, devices and supporting services in niche areas of health and makes them available to doctors and patients worldwide. The company targets therapeutic gaps in the areas of reproductive health and endocrinology, and uses innovative marketing solutions and socially-conscious programs, such as contraception education in developing countries, to promote healthy management of drugs and diseases. A pioneer in emergency contraception, its product NorLevo® was the first emergency contraceptive that has been granted direct pharmacy access. HRA Pharma specifically developed ellaOne® (ulipristal acetate) to deliver a more advanced form of emergency contraceptive than that which was previously available. Headquartered in Paris, France and with subsidiaries across Western Europe, HRA Pharma has built a strong network of R&D, manufacturing, distribution and NGO partners which enables it to satisfy critical patient needs and improve patient health in over 50 countries across the globe. Visit www.hrapharma.com for more information.
About Afaxys
Afaxys, Inc. is a strategic sourcing company serving safety net family planning providers who are part of the country's public health system. Since 2005, the management of Afaxys has operated a Group Purchasing Organization, which negotiates favourable pricing across a broad base of mission-critical products and services for its members. Political and economic forces have long presented significant challenges for their customers, the safety net family planning providers who operate health centers nationwide. These organizations provide the uninsured, underinsured and the poor with medical care and access to quality products and services they could not otherwise afford. Afaxys' mission is to provide customers affordable, reliable access to the products and services they need to care for their patients. Their strategic sourcing model is designed to remove uncertainty in both pricing and availability. They manage the supply needs of customers so they can focus on what they do best: caring for patients. Visit www.afaxys.com for more information.
(1) Reference data on file
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