Japan's major pharmaceutical maker, Tanabe Seiyaku Co., said Tuesday it has teamed up with Vivus Inc. of the United States on an anti-impotence drug currently being developed.
Vivus, a pharmaceutical venture based in California, has thus obtained the rights to develop and market Tanabe's TA-1790, a remedy for erectile dysfunction, in North America and Europe, the Osaka-based firm said.
Tanabe, which will retain development and marketing rights for TA-1790 in Japan, aims to put the drug on the market in five to seven years.
The deal is expected to help Tanabe speed up the development of TA-1790 through Vivus's expertise in similar drugs.
Tanabe said it hopes to turn the envisioned drug into a global blockbuster with sales of tens of billions of yen.
TA-1790 has functions similar to Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Viagra.