Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) has expanded its commercial partnership with Organon to market the migraine medicine Emgality (galcanezumab) in 11 additional markets.
Under this new agreement, Organon will serve as the exclusive distributor and promoter of Emgality in additional markets. These include Canada, Colombia, Israel, South Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UAE.
Lilly will continue to hold the marketing authorisation and will be responsible for manufacturing Emgality for sale.
The total consideration for expanding the territory includes an upfront payment of $22.5m to Lilly, along with additional milestone payments based on sales performance.
The expansion builds on Organon’s existing role as the sole distributor and promoter of Emgality in Europe since February 2024.
Organon CEO Kevin Ali said: “The broadening of this agreement is a testament to Organon’s best-in-class commercialisation capabilities, global footprint and deep expertise in women’s health.
“We know that migraine ranks as the leading cause of disability among young women, and we’re proud to expand our offering to more women and men around the world living with episodic or chronic migraine.”
The drug is a humanised monoclonal antibody that targets calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). It is approved for the preventive treatment of migraines in adults.
In certain markets, it is specifically indicated for individuals experiencing at least four migraine days per month.
Additionally, in some regions, Emgality is approved for the treatment of episodic cluster headaches in adults.
Lilly executive vice president and Lilly International president Ilya Yuffa said: “We are thrilled to expand this collaboration agreement with Organon.
“We’re confident in our shared mission to bring this important migraine treatment to more patients around the world.”
In a separate development, Lilly announced positive topline results from the SURMOUNT-1 three-year study of tirzepatide (Zepbound and Mounjaro) in adults with pre-diabetes and obesity or overweight.
According to the results, weekly injections of tirzepatide cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94% in adults with pre-diabetes and obesity or overweight, compared to a placebo.
Additionally, tirzepatide led to significant weight loss throughout the treatment.
