UCB launches Xyrem in Germany for cataplexy

New York, Dec. 8 - USB said it has begun selling Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution in Germany for the treatment of cataplexy in adult patients with narcolepsy.

The launch, the first in a major European market, follows European Commission marketing approval. Sales throughout the continent are expected to begin in 2006.

"Xyrem provides physicians and patients in Europe with the first and only EMEA [European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products]-approved medication for the treatment of cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy," said Emmanuel Caeymaex, vice president, marketing CNS, at UCB, in a news release.

Cataplexy is a typical symptom of narcolepsy and is present in 65% to 70% of patients with narcolepsy. It involves a sudden reversible loss of muscle tone, usually triggered by emotional stimuli such as laughter, excitement, surprise and anger, with contributing factors including physical fatigue, stress or sleepiness. Narcolepsy is a debilitating, life-long neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks.

Xyrem has been marketed in the United States by Jazz Pharmaceuticals since 2002.

USB is a Brussels, Belgium, biopharmaceutical company.

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