Mylan buys rights to Pfizer respiratory drug

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has acquired rights to an experimental respiratory drug made by Pfizer, Mylan said Wednesday.

The drug maker said it had bought exclusive worldwide development, manufacturing and commercialization rights to the drug, which was not named, but was described as a long-acting muscarinic antagonist about to enter phase-2b, or mid-stage, clinical trials. Mylan said it would develop the drug into combination therapies and that they would use a multidose dry powder inhaler technology, also licensed from Pfizer.

"This acquisition further expands Mylan's growing respiratory franchise, building upon the products we already have in development, such as our generic Advair program and our combination product for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said. "By adding a novel LAMA compound to our capabilities, we will have the opportunity to bring additional combination products to market, including triple-combination therapies, and further differentiate Mylan as a leader in this important therapeutic area."