Emmaus Life Sciences Inc said it has received its first major purchase order from its distributor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where its drug Endari is available on an early access basis.
The Torrance, California-based company said it also has been issued a registration certificate from the Qatar Ministry of Public Health granting marketing authorization for the commercial distribution and sale of Endari in the country.
Emmaus CEO Dr. Yutaka Niihara said the company is pleased Qatari health officials made access to Endari easier for the sickle cell patients in the country.
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“We will continue to strive in our mission to afford increased availability of Endari in the Middle East and North Africa region with its large and underserved sickle cell disease patient population," Niihara said in a statement.
Endari is approved in the US, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the State of Qatar to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in adult and paediatric patients five years of age and older, according to Emmaus.
Endari is also available on an early access basis in Bahrain, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, pending official notice of action on Emmaus's marketing authorization applications in those countries, the company said.
Emmaus senior vice president of global commercialization George Sekulich said: "The approval from the Ministry of Public Health is another validation of the safety and efficacy of Endari. We look forward to working with our distribution partner to make Endari available to the sickle cell disease patients in the emirate."
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