News Feature | December 12, 2014

AstraZeneca's Moventig For OIC Approved In The EU

By Estel Grace Masangkay

AstraZeneca announced that the European Commission has green-lighted its drug Moventig (naloxegol) as treatment for opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients who haven’t been successfully treated with laxatives in the EU.

Opioids relieve chronic pain by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous system. However, they also bind to receptors in the gastrointestinal tract and cause opioid-induced constipation in patients. Moventig is designed to inhibit opioids from binding to these mu-receptors in the GI tract tissues. The drug was licensed by AstraZeneca from its developer Nektar Therapeutics under an exclusive global license agreement.

The EC approved Moventig based on positive data from the KODIAC trial program in which the drug demonstrated both safety and efficacy. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has earlier recommended Moventig for approval. The drug is the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) to receive approval in the EU. The FDA has also approved the drug marketed as Movantik in the U.S. in September.

Briggs Morrison, EVP of Global Medicines Development & CMO of AstraZeneca, said, “Constipation is one of the most common side effects for those using opioid pain medication. We’re very pleased to have received marketing authorization for Moventig as it allows us to offer a new treatment option for the millions of patients across Europe who suffer from opioid-induced constipation and haven’t responded to laxatives.”

According to the PharmaLetter, the global market for OIC treatments is expected to balloon from $144.42 million in 2012 to $1.98 billion by 2017, translating to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.9 percent. The EU is named as a major player in the market with an estimated $75.4 million in sales in 2012. The market’s upwards movement represents a significant opportunity for AstraZeneca’s Moventig, as well as other pharma firms developing similar treatments.