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News Feature
Kiwi pill for global pain-relief market
Tuesday, 03 November 2009
The global pain-relief market has found a new pill ‘Maxigesic’, developed and tested in New Zealand, which can be used for a wide range of pain from headaches, migraines and dental pain through to post-surgery pain.
AFT Pharmaceuticals founder Dr Hartley Atkinson.
New Zealand-owned AFT Pharmaceuticals, which has commercialised the new pain relief tablet, launched it recently In Auckland. The tablet combines Paracetamol and Ibuprofen in a unique combination to relieve pain and reduce fever and inflammation.
Teaming these two active ingredients together in the ratio of Paracetamol 500mg and Ibuprofen 150mg is a world-first in the oral analgesic (pain relief) market, which produces double-action relief, according to the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
AFT founder Dr Hartley Atkinson said Maxigesic® was developed and tested in New Zealand, with clinical trials involving post-operative pain relief after wisdom teeth removal. Results showed Maxigesic was significantly more effective than Paracetamol alone for providing relief.
“The global market for analgesics is in excess of US $20 billion. This represents a huge opportunity for our New Zealand pharmaceutical company and the industry at large. We’ve proven that New Zealand has the capability to develop IP-based cutting-edge medical solutions,” Dr Atkinson said.
AFT Pharmaceuticals turns over in excess of NZ$30 million with existing pharmaceutical business in New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. The Auckland-based company commercialised the allergic rhinitis (hayfever) product Maxiclear, a breakthrough product for hayfever relief, two years ago.
Maxigesic® will be exclusive to pharmacies where it is likely to find a ready market as it contains no codeine – an opiate drug found in a number of existing combination analgesic products, which has attracted concern in New Zealand and Australia for its potential misuse.
Professor of Anaesthesiology at The University of Auckland, Alan Merry, was the principal investigator for Maxigesic®, and said Paracetamol and Ibuprofen work well in combination.
“In the New Zealand clinical trial, involving 135 patients who were having their wisdom teeth removed, we found the combination of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen provided superior pain relief to patients than either agent on its own,” Professor Merry said.
Dr Atkinson said AFT Pharmaceuticals has made substantial plans to license Maxigesic® internationally and has engaged the strategic transaction advisory firm Ferghana Partners, which specialises in M&A transactions in the biotech/pharma field.
“We want to complete our aim to be the first New Zealand pharmaceutical company to develop a patented drug to market and license it globally.
“There is still a lot of work to be done to reach the huge global potential that Maxigesic® has. In the meantime, we expect that Maxigesic will sell very well in the local market as we have received so much positive feedback,” Dr Atkinson added.
