Orion Aims to Boost U.S. Sales for Nubeqa

By Anne Kauranen

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finnish drugmaker Orion seeks to increase its U.S. sales, capitalizing on the success of its prostate cancer drug Nubeqa, developed in collaboration with German firm Bayer (OTC:BAYRY), as reported by Orion’s CEO, Liisa Hurme.

The two companies revealed on Thursday that Nubeqa’s sales exceeded a billion euros this year, marking it as Orion’s first “blockbuster” product. Bayer is pursuing U.S. regulatory approval to expand Nubeqa’s use to a new patient demographic.

Also known as darolutamide, Nubeqa is Bayer’s third-best-selling drug globally, with its fastest-growing sales occurring in the U.S., according to Hurme.

This success prompted Orion to establish a research center in the U.S. last year, attuned to the growth prospects in a market that represents about half of the global drug sales.

“We are in the U.S. to develop our own innovations in that market ourselves,” Hurme stated, referencing Orion’s ODM-111 molecule for pain treatment and its collaboration with U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co on opevesostat, aimed at treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, among other products.

Hurme pointed out that pain management remains inadequately addressed in the U.S., where opioid misuse presents a significant issue.

Bayer is submitting an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a third indication for darolutamide, seeking to combine it with androgen deprivation therapy for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, following a successful phase III trial.