Innovex, the commercialization unit of Quintiles, has reached an agreement with Novo Nordisk to deploy a force of specialty sales reps to provide support for hormone therapy Activella and Vagifem vaginal tablets.

Under the terms of the agreement, Innovex will provide a dedicated team of 100 sales representatives in the U.S. for a two-year term. Innovex, based in RTP with Quintiles, provides pharmaceutical companies with representatives in specific therapeutic areas to promote interaction with physicians.

“We are especially proud to work with Novo Nordisk to promote these important women’s health care products in the U.S. market,” said Tony Yost, president of Innovex North America. “We have developed competency in this therapeutic area and every member of our sales team is committed to working with Novo Nordisk to establish the value of these products in this therapy area.”

Approved in the U.S. in November 1998, Activella is a continuous-combined once daily tablet for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause in women with an intact uterus. It is the only oral hormone therapy that combines an estrogen and a progestin, both of which are derived from plant sources.

Vagifem, approved in the U.S. in March 1999, is a tablet containing natural estrogen, which is administered intravaginally by a disposable applicator for the treatment of atrophic vaginitis resulting from estrogen deficiency.

Novo Nordisk, which is headquartered in Denmark with U.S. operation in Princeton, NJ, has marketed Vagifem in countries outside the U.S. since 1988, while Activella is marketed in foreign countries under the brand Activelle.

“We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Innovex as one key factor in our ongoing efforts to ensure women have access to these important products,” said Novo Nordisk President Martin Soeters. “Innovex’s breadth of experience in working with women’s health products positions the company as an ideal partner to support Novo Nordisk’s commitment to growing the area of women’s health in the United States.”

Innovex: www.innovex.com