Molteni Farmaceutici-Camurus: agreement to market a drug for the treatment of opioid addiction

Molteni Farmaceutici, an Italian company that has been a point of reference at European level for the development and production of analgesic-opioid drugs for pain therapy and the treatment of drug addiction for 130 years, has signed an agreement with Camurus for the marketing in Italy of a new drug sustained-release buprenorphine base for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

The Italian Molteni, a point of reference in the opioid treatment sector, in turn holds the European rights to the ProNeura technology used for a specific drug – already marketed for the treatment of opioid addiction – with a long duration of action equal to 6 months from application. With the launch of the new Camurus research product, the Italian market expands the offer of personalized treatments for these patients, also reducing the risk of serious complications such as overdose.

The Camurus product represents an important novelty for all those suffering from opioid addiction, a serious, chronic and relapsing disease that can affect all aspects of a person's daily life. Successfully launched by Camurus in various European countries, it will be available in Italy thanks to the agreement with Molteni as early as 2023.

The CEO of Molteni Farmaceutici, Bruno de Bortoli: " We are pleased to collaborate with Camurus for a new treatment for opioid-dependent patients "

The managing director of Molteni Farmaceutici, Bruno de Bortoli, commented the agreement as follows: “ We are pleased to collaborate with Camurus for a new and promising treatment for opioid-dependent patients. We believe that the exceptional commitment shown by both parties since the beginning of our contacts will contribute significantly to bring out a new awareness on the part of patients in dealing with this disabling pathology. The agreement between Camurus and Molteni offers a synergistic partnership to maximize the value of both products as innovative long-acting treatments for opioid addiction in Italy ”.

Bruno de Bortoli's statements are echoed by those of Fredrik Tiberg, CEO of Camurus: “ The agreement with Molteni is an important step in making our product available to patients with opioid addiction in Italy. Molteni has a strong commitment and history of serving patients affected by this serious and life-threatening disease and is an excellent partner for Camurus in Italy .”

Addiction to opioids: the numbers of the global phenomenon and in Italy

Opioid addiction is a worrying global phenomenon. The use of drugs is increasingly widespread, leading to serious physical, mental and social consequences, such as unemployment, crime, imprisonment, the transmission of infectious diseases, accidental overdose. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 500,000 drug-related deaths worldwide each year, of which 70% are caused by opioid use and 30% by overdose. In Europe, around 1.3 million people are estimated to use high-risk opioids, yet only 630,000 of these receive adequate medical care. In 2020, it is estimated that at least 5800 deaths from overdoses from illicit substances occurred in the European Union.

According to the latest report on drug addiction published by the Ministry of Health, in Italy there are more than 198,000 people addicted to substances and 86% of these are men. Among the most frequent age groups we find those between 35 and 54 years. 63.9% of drug users are being treated for opioid use. Among new users, this percentage drops to 28.8%, while among people already under treatment or returning it reaches 68.9%.

Molteni Farmaceutici, a leading Italian company in the opioid treatment sector in Europe

Molteni Farmaceutici, a leader in the opioid treatment sector in Europe for 130 years, is specialized in the development, production and marketing of new solutions for the treatment of addictions and pain, from moderate to severe, with the aim of safeguarding the quality of life of patients and access to products. The company also holds the European rights to the ProNeura technology in relation to a specific drug for the treatment of opioid addiction, long-acting treatment equal to six months from application, already marketed in Italy by Molteni.

Camurus is a Swedish biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of innovative and differentiated medicines for the treatment of severe and chronic diseases. New pharmaceutical products with best-in-class potential are designed based on proprietary FluidCrystal® drug delivery technologies and the company's extensive research and development experience.

The history of Molteni Farmaceutici

Molteni Farmaceutici, a company that celebrated its 130th anniversary last year, was founded in Florence in 1892 and today, thanks to its competitive know-how, represents one of the European reference companies in the development and production of analgesic drugs. opioids for pain management and addiction treatment.

In 2022 Molteni Farmaceutici won the award for best project in the "Education and training for doctors" category at the AboutPharma Digital Awards, thanks to the "Molteni Virtual Journey" project. This virtual reality project was created to further engage clinicians and promote awareness of a new treatment for chronic ulcers. Thanks to the immersive experience offered by virtual reality, clinicians were able to better understand the characteristics of the proposed treatment.

Winning the award confirms Molteni Farmaceutici's commitment to offering innovative and high quality solutions for pain therapy and the treatment of addictions, through the promotion of knowledge and education of the health professions.