Ironwood Adds A China Wrinkle To Regional Deal Strategy

The December US launch of linaclotide is a transformative event for Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, the GI drug’s discoverer. But the company’s recent deal with AstraZeneca to sell the drug in China represents another kind of feat and highlights the growing importance of regional deals to Western biotechs.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a truly transformational event this December: the launch on December 17 of its first drug, linaclotide. Approved August 30 in the US for adults with irritable bowel syndrome and constipation (IBS-C) and/or chronic constipation, and in Europe on November 28 for IBS-C only, linaclotide is one of the most promising primary care drugs to come to market in recent years and, by all accounts, has potential to be a blockbuster.

Analysts estimate its global sales – the US brand name is Linzess – could peak at $2.7 billion or more before the patent expires in the US in 2025. Its...

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