Razadyne

Analyst Outlook

Razadyne (galantamine; Johnson & Johnson/Shire/Takeda) is minimally differentiated from the other,

more popular cholinesterase inhibitors Aricept (donepezil; Eisai/Pfizer) and Exelon (rivastigmine;

Novartis/Ono Pharmaceutical). Razadyne has reached the end of its commercial life in the US, where

Johnson & Johnson has experienced declining revenues since generic entry in 2008. Furthermore,

generic competition is now widespread in the EU, leaving Japan as the only major Alzheimer’s disease

market where the drug enjoys exclusivity. Takeda launched the drug in Japan in 2011 under the brand

name Reminyl, and Japanese sales of the drug have steadily grown to reach $131m in 2014.

Drug Overview

Razadyne is an oral tertiary alkaloid, indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s

disease. Similarly to Aricept, Razadyne acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI), preventing

acetylcholine (ACh) degradation and increasing ACh levels. By boosting cholinergic function, the drug

promotes symptomatic relief to patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Johnson & Johnson, Shire, and Takeda currently market Razadyne (known as Reminyl in Japan and the

EU) for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Under the brand name Reminyl, the

drug was first launched in the UK in September 2000 and in the US in May 2001. In May 2005,

Reminyl’s name was changed to Razadyne in the US to avoid confusion with the similar-sounding

antidiabetic drug Amaryl (glimepiride; Sanofi). This change of name coincided with the US launch of

Razadyne ER, a once-daily extended-release version of the drug. In June 2005, the extended-release

version was also launched in the EU as Reminyl XL (Biomedtracker, 2015; Medtrack, 2015).

In 2010, Takeda signed an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, a subsidiary of Johnson &

Johnson, for the co-marketing of galantamine in Japan. The drug was launched under the brand name

Reminyl in March 2011, when it became the second available Alzheimer’s disease drug in the

Japanese market, after Eisai’s Aricept (Biomedtracker, 2015; Medtrack, 2015).