Unilife deals with Sanofi; lists on NASDAQ

Unilife said the agreement, which runs until 2014 with a 10-year extension option, also covers exclusive application of the Unifill platform with six other therapeutic sub-groups but did not provide additional details.

It went on to say it is still permitted to license the technology in other therapeutic areas, but added that the classes covered by the Sanofi deal make up the vast majority of global prefilled syringe product market.

The Sanofi deal follows just months after the Unifill technology was launched at the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) conference in Italy and is consisted with efforts to target Big Pharma, according to Unilife CEO Alan Shortall.

Shortall said that: “The agreement of an exclusive list of therapeutic drug classes with sanofi-aventis for the purchase of the Unifill syringe is a significant business milestone for Unilife.​

“[The accord] indicative of the strong collaborative relationship that has been established between both parties,” he continued, adding that commencing supply will begin on completion of Unilife’s industrialisation programme.​

While full details of the industrialisation programme where not disclosed, Unilife did confirm that Sanofi will provide around €17m in funding for the project which is scheduled to complete before the end of the year.

NASDAQ listing​

The Sanofi deal follows hot on the heels of another "business milestone" for Unilife, namely the syringe makers' move from the Australian Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Stock Exchanges’ Global Market in the US.

Speaking last month Shortfall said: “I believe moving the Company to the U.S. and listing our common stock on a major international exchange complements our rapid emergence as a global leader for innovative safety medical devices​.”