Ipsen and Debiopharm have launched Decapeptyl, a sustained-release treatment for locally advanced or metastatic hormone-dependent prostate cancer in France.
Marketing authorisation was granted on 10 November 2009 by the French regulatory authorities and other launches are planned shortly in countries such as Germany and Portugal.
Decapeptyl LP 22.5mg is a new sustained-release six-month formulation of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist analogue originally developed by the Debiopharm Group. Debiopharm has licensed the marketing rights to Ipsen for all territories where Ipsen commercialises triptorelin.
The active substance in Decapeptyl is triptorelin, a decapeptide analogue of GnRH, a hormone secreted by the hypothalamus, which initially stimulates the release of pituitary gonadotrophins, which in turn control hormonal secretions by the testes and ovaries.
The product is now marketed worldwide for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, precocious puberty, and female infertility as part of in-vitro fertilisation programmes.
