PORTO AND LJUBLJANA, 20 July 2021 – BIAL and Medis, d.o.o. announce that they have entered into an exclusive partnership on two BIAL's proprietary medicines eslicarbazepine acetate and opicapone.
The established partnership comprises an exclusive distribution agreement for epilepsy in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and an exclusive distribution agreement for treating Parkinson’s disease in 12 CEE countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.)
“We are pleased to have Medis as our new partner. We believe this partnership is another important step for the extensive commercialisation of our innovative medicines. Medis shares our longterm vision and we look forward to bringing these important treatment options to patients in the CEE region,” said António Portela, Chief Executive Officer of BIAL.
“In Medis we are excited and proud to partner with BIAL and thus being able to provide two medicines which we firmly believe represent a muchneeded relief to thousands of people in the region who suffer from Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.” claimed Martina Perharic, Medis’ Chief Executive Officer.
Epilepsy has a high prevalence with 6 million people affected in Europe and 15 million Europeans estimated to experience a seizure at some time in their life.1
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a strong reduction of the neurotransmitter dopamine, caused by the degen
eration of certain neurons in the brain. The European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) estimates that approximately 1.2 million people in Europe suffer from this disease.
About BIAL
Founded in 1924, BIAL's mission is to research, develop and provide therapeutic solutions within the area of health. Over the last decades, BIAL has focused strategically on quality, innovation and internationalization. BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation, investing more than 20% of its annual turnover into research and development within neurosciences and the cardiovascular system. The company expects to introduce new drugs on the market in the coming years, strengthening its international presence based on proprietary drugs and achieving its goal of supplying innovative products to patients worldwide. For more information on BIAL visit www.bial.com.
About Medis
Medis Pharmaceutical Company is the leading independent medical marketing company focused on commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products, with emphasis on specialty drugs, medical equipment and selfcare brands. Medis aims at making the most advanced and effective medical treatments accessible to every patient in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Its fully owned subsidiaries across the CEE region are leveraging its marketing know-how, scientific expertise and product knowledge. It is headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, founded in 1989, and employs more than 350 people. For more information about Medis visit www.medis.com.
References:
1 Epilepsy in the WHO European Region: Fostering Epilepsy Care in Europe. WHO report. Available at https://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/epilepsy/euro_report.pdf Last Accessed in June 2021
