MERZ-PHARMACEUTICALS
Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a leading neurotoxin company and subsidiary of Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA, and Teijin Pharma Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group’s healthcare business, jointly announced today that Teijin Pharma has been granted approval by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market Xeomin ® (incobotulinumtoxinA) for intramuscular injection in 50, 100 or 200 units for the treatment of upper limb spasticity.
Xeomin ® is effective in treating peripheral cholinergic nerve endings by weakening the contraction of voluntary muscles, and it relieves muscle tone by inhibiting the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. The highly purified neurotoxin, the only active ingredient in Xeomin ® , is made by removing complexing proteins from botulinum toxin type A, which is produced by Clostridium botulinum, using purification technology developed by Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA. The lack of complexing proteins enables Xeomin ® to reduce the production of neutralizing antibodies capable of lowering efficacy.
Xeomin ® is being distributed by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH in more than 70 countries to treat patients with upper limb spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, or hypersalivation. Teijin Pharma signed an exclusive license and co-development agreement for Xeomin ® in Japan with Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA in 2017. In August 2019, Teijin Pharma applied for marketing approval based on a significant improvement in the modified ashworth scale (MAS) score of the wrist flexion, which was observed in a phase-III clinical trial conducted by Merz in Japan.
Upper limb spasticity is a symptom of upper motor neuron syndrome, which is expressed mainly by increased muscle tone of upper limbs and the hyperexcitability of the stretch reflex as a sequela of stroke. The main symptoms are motor paralysis, hyperflexion, appearance of pathological reflexes, and sensory disturbances that complicate or impede activities in daily living.
Conventional treatment of upper limb spasticity includes physical rehabilitation and the use of oral muscle relaxants or neuromuscular blockers such as botulinum toxin type A. Injections of botulinum toxin type A are a Grade A recommendation in the Japanese Guidelines for the Management of Stroke 2015.
"At Merz Therapeutics, we do everything to bring better outcomes to more patients. Therefore, we are very proud of our partnership with Teijin to make Xeomin ® available to physicians and patients in Japan,” said Stefan Brinkmann, CEO Merz Therapeutics. “We are confident that this treatment option can help patients with upper limb spasticity in Japan to experience more good days and achieve their unique goals.”
“Teijin Pharma already provides various pharmaceuticals and medical devices that help to contribute to improving quality of life of patients suffering from musculoskeletal diseases,” said Ichiro Watanabe, president of Teijin Pharma Limited. “We, responding to demographic change and increased health consciousness, are launching effective new drugs and providing other solutions to realize more sustainable societies. Teijin Pharma continues to contribute to improving the quality of life (QOL) of patients by providing new treatment options for diseases with high unmet needs.”
About Xeomin®
Brand name |
Xeomin® 50 units for intramuscular injection Xeomin® 100 units for intramuscular injection Xeomin® 200 units for intramuscular injection |
Nonproprietary name |
incobotulinumtoxinA |
Dosage form |
Injection (vial) |
Indication |
Upper limb spasticity |
Dosage and administration |
In general, for adults, Xeomin® should be injected into multiple tonic muscles.* The maximum dose per administration is 400 units, however, the dose should be appropriately reduced to the minimum depending on the type and number of targeted tonic muscles. Repeated doses are permissible if the effect of a previous dose diminish. The dosing interval should be 12 weeks or longer, but may be shortened to 10 weeks depending on the symptoms.
*Tonic muscles: flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor digitorum dorsi, flexor digitorum brevis, radial biceps, biceps brachii, brachial musculature, pronation of the pronator, flexor progenitor, flexor pollicis longus, adductor pollicis longus, flexor pollicis brevis/opposite thumb muscle, etc. |
Xeomin ® is the registered trademark of Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA.
About Merz Therapeutics
Merz Therapeutics, a business of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients around the world. With its relentless research, development, and culture of innovation, Merz Therapeutics strives to serve unmet patient needs and realize better outcomes. Merz Therapeutics seeks to address the unique needs of people who suffer from movement disorders, neurological conditions, liver disease, and other health conditions that severely impact patients’ quality of life. Merz Therapeutics is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany and is represented in more than 90 countries, with a North America affiliate based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH is part of the Merz Group, a privately held, family-owned company that has dedicated more than 110 years to developing innovations that meet patient and customer needs. Please visit www.merz.com .
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the fields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Originally established as Japan's first rayon manufacturer in 1918, Teijin has evolved into a unique enterprise encompassing three core business domains: high-performance materials including aramid, carbon fibers and composites, and also resin and plastic processing, films, polyester fibers and products converting; healthcare including pharmaceuticals and home healthcare equipment for bone/joint, respiratory and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, nursing care and pre-symptomatic healthcare; and IT including B2B solutions for medical, corporate and public systems as well as packaged software and B2C online services for digital entertainment. Deeply committed to its stakeholders, as expressed in the brand statement “Human Chemistry, Human Solutions,” Teijin aims to be a company that supports the society of the future. The group comprises more than 170 companies and employs some 20,000 people across 20 countries worldwide. Teijin posted consolidated sales of JPY 853.7 billion (USD 8.0 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,004.2 billion (USD 9.4 billion) in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2020.
Please visit www.teijin.com
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200629005235/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Ant International Partners with Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol to Expand AI Capabilities12.1.2026 02:15:00 CET | Press release
Ant International, a leading global payment, digitisation, and financial technology provider, is collaborating on the launch of Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce that works across the entire shopping journey — from discovery and buying to post-purchase support. UCP establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together across consumer surfaces, businesses, and payment providers to enable commerce. So instead of requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all agents to interact easily. UCP is built to work across verticals and is compatible with existing industry protocols like Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), and Model Context Protocol (MCP). “For agentic commerce to scale, it’s critical for the industry to align on a common set of standards. We are proud to have Ant International endorse the Universal Commerce Protocol as the foundation for that future,” said Ashish Gupta, VP
Torq Secures $140M Series D at $1.2B Valuation to Lead the AI SOC and Agentic AI Era11.1.2026 17:59:00 CET | Press release
Fueled by Massive Customer Adoption of AI Agents, Torq Scales the World’s First True AI SOC Platform and Accelerates Expansion into the U.S. Federal Market Torq, the established Agentic AI security operations pioneer, today announced it has closed a massive $140 million Series D funding round, propelling its valuation to $1.2 billion and total funding to $332M. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112510774/en/ Led by Merlin Ventures—a leading cybersecurity fund renowned for its deep access to the U.S. commercial and Public Sector markets—with participation from all existing investors, including Evolution Equity Partners, Notable Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Insight Ventures Partners, and Greenfield Partners, this capital injection is a definitive investment in the future of security. Torq is driving the industry’s critical shift: the complete transformation of the Security Operations Center (SOC) through
Andersen udvider sine kompetencer med tilføjelsen af Scimitar9.1.2026 21:44:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting har indgået en samarbejdsaftale med Scimitar, der er et firma med fokus på at accelerere innovation i biovidenskabsbranchen. Scimitar, der har hovedkvarter i USA, et førende konsulenthus inden for strategieksekvering for biovidenskabsbranchen. Virksomheden er specialiseret i design af driftsmodeller, digital transformation og organisatorisk forandring. Scimitar samarbejder med medicinal- og biotech-virksomheder om at accelerere innovation, styrke den driftsmæssige eksekvering og sikre compliance gennem hele produkters livscyklus. Deres praktiske og samarbejdsorienterede tilgang sikrer løsninger, der ikke blot er formålstjenlige, men også skalerbare. "Virksomheder inden for biovidenskabsbranchen befinder sig i en tid med hurtige videnskabelige fremskridt, stigende regulatorisk kompleksitet og et voksende behov for operationel agilitet, samtidig med at de holdes op mod de højeste standarder for patientsikkerhed og dataintegritet," udtaler Ramy Khalil, CEO i Scimitar.
Biocytogen and Acepodia Expand Collaboration Through Option-based Evaluation Framework for First-in-Class Bispecific and Dual-Payload ADCs (BsAD2C)9.1.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Expanded collaboration builds on Acepodia and Biocytogen’s recent co-development efforts to evaluate selected bispecific antibody and dual-payload ADC programs Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Biocytogen, SSE: 688796; HKEX: 02315) and Acepodia (6976:TT), today announced that the companies have entered into an option and license agreement designed to enable the structured evaluation of bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (BsADC) programs to further advance the development of dual-payload bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (BsAD2Cs). The agreement grants Acepodia an option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license from Biocytogen for two BsADC programs. Under the terms of the agreement, Biocytogen is eligible to receive an upfront option fee and, upon Acepodia’s exercise of the option, additional payments including option exercise fees, development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as royalties on future product sales. The financial terms of the agreem
Blockstream Capital Partners Announces Strategic Acquisition of Derivatives Trading Team from Numeus Group, Leveraging Strategic Partnership with Komainu9.1.2026 11:08:00 CET | Press release
Blockstream Capital Partners (“BCP”) today announced that it has entered into a strategic agreement to acquire a division within Numeus Group’s digital asset trading and investment business. The transaction includes the absorption of select Bitcoin focused trading strategies with a focus on yield generation as well as a ten person derivatives trading team led by Chief Investment Officer Deepak Gulati, a specialist in volatility and derivatives markets. Deepak Gulati, appointed Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blockstream Capital Management alongside Rodrigo Rodriguez, previously served as Global Head of Proprietary Trading at JPMorgan, before founding Argentiere Capital, a multibillion-dollar volatility-focused hedge fund. With a thesis that derivatives would drive Bitcoin and digital asset market maturity, he co-founded Numeus Group in 2021 to develop institutional-grade trading, risk management and market-structure capabilities. Komainu, an existing BCP strategic investment, has played
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom