Surfaxin: Epitomizing Esteve

01 May 2003

• By Melanie Senior

The progress of Esteve's lead compound Surfaxin illustrates how the Spanish group is building a robust, yet risk-controlled pipeline to supplement its co-marketing activities. The compound may also become the first marketed drug in which Esteve played an active development role, and bears testament to the private group's partnering appeal.

In 1999, Spain's signed a development and marketing deal with Windtree Therapeutics Inc. for the US biotech's Phase II synthetic lung surfactant lucinactant (Surfaxin). Esteve agreed to co-fund R&D and oversee clinical trials in Europe, take an equity stake, as well as commercialize the drug in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Latin America [See Deal].

The move was unusual for the average domestically focused, privately owned European pharma firm: few were willing—or able—to take on...