Pharma Expands European Footprint for UTI Prophylactic Treatment with Strategic Licensing

Client Challenge

EQL Pharma is a Swedish pharma company with a well-established commercial footprint in the Nordic markets. In 2019, it launched methenamine hippurate (Memprex) in Sweden, followed by a launch in the United Kingdom (UK), via partner, in 2020 and in Norway in 2021. Then, a 2022 UK study demonstrated the non-inferiority of methenamine hippurate compared to antibiotics for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) prophylaxis. Based on this result and the successful Nordic and UK launches, EQL Pharma saw an opportunity to market Memprex in the rest of Europe. The company sought to expand its geographical footprint outside the Nordics and increase its revenue from licensing agreements.

EQL Pharma selected Alira Health to support this expansion thanks to its previous positive experience with Alira Health in the out-licensing of Mellozzan, Alira Health’s strong track record in licensing deals, and deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical market.

Our Approach

To support the client, Alira Health built a cross-functional team including market access and transaction advisory experts. The experts partnered with EQL Pharma to secure licensing deals outside of the Nordic markets and the UK, and proposed to:

• Perform a thorough value proposition, competitive and pricing analysis in the EU.
• Conduct an extensive evaluation of all potential targets that operate in women’s health, gynecology, and urology spaces in Europe.
• Coordinate and manage a competitive process to secure licensing and supply agreements with the strongest players matching well with EQL Pharma’s company culture.

Outcomes

Alira Health helped EQL Pharma sign strategic licensing agreements for Memprex with two major players for France (Laboratoires Majorelle) and Germany (Dr. Pfleger). The selected companies were perfect partners with the expertise, the network of specialists, and the interface to authorities necessary to reach the substantial number of women suffering from recurrent UTIs. The client also gained a better understanding of the product’s history and commercial potential in Europe, including country variances with respect to the product’s marketing status, reimbursement, and prices.

Key Success Factors

Alira Health’s deep understanding of the product’s market access and commercial challenges, broad network, and extensive experience in licensing deals laid the foundation for securing the licensing agreements.

Learn more about our expertise in business development and licensing.