Roche/DuPont
Executive Summary
Parkinson's disease therapies Tasmar (tolcapone) and Sinemet CR (sustained-release carbidopa-levodopa) will be co-promoted for three years in the U.S. Roche's Tasmar, approved Jan. 29, is indicated for use as an adjunct to carbidopa and levodopa therapy. Over 500 Roche reps and a "few hundred" DuPont reps will promote the compounds. The co-promotion agreement provides additional support to DuPont's second top-selling Rx product line as the company forges an independent presence after the dissolution of the DuPont Merck joint venture. DuPont says the agreement with Roche will not affect the profit equalization formula of its license of the antihypertensives Cozaar/Hyzaar to Merck: the formula takes into account sales of the Sinemet line as well as Cozaar/Hyzaar sales and spending