AACHEN, Germany and BEIJING, January 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Grünenthal and Mundipharma announced today that they have entered into a License and Distribution Agreement. Under its terms, Mundipharma will market and distribute Grünenthal's Tramal^® (tramadol) in China from May 1, 2018.

Developed by Grünenthal, Tramal^® is a well-established analgesic for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is the only international brand of tramadol in China that includes sustained release tablets and immediate release capsules, as well as an intravenous formulation used for post-operative pain in patient controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). Delivering the analgesic intravenously with a patient-controlled device can provide an important and effective pain control option for patients.^[1]

"Poorly controlled post-operative pain may delay the recovery process, and negatively impact patients' quality of life. With Tramal^®, which has a long track record in the Chinese market, we are proud to offer a solution that helps patients in need," Gabriel Baertschi, CEO Grünenthal, explains. "Given Mundipharma's strong commitment and experience in pain management in China, we hope to make Tramal^® available for even more Chinese pain-patients in need of effective medication."

"The addition of Tramal^® to our portfolio reinforces Mundipharma's position as the international leader in advancing appropriate cancer-related pain relief in China," says Raman Singh, CEO Mundipharma. "PCIA is an advanced option for medical professionals to treat patients suffering from moderate to severe pain. We are pleased to extend our relationship with Grünenthal to advance the treatment of patients in China, where there remains an unmet patient need," he adds. "Both organisations are committed to ensuring the responsible use of analgesic medications to treat post-operative patients when other options provide insufficient relief."

--------------------------------------------------

1. Xiaohui Chi, Man Li, Wei Mei, Mingfeng Liao. Comparison of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with sufentanil versus tramadol in post-cesarean section pain management and lactation after general anesthesia - a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study. J Pain Res. 2017; 10: 1521-1527.

The Grünenthal Group is an entrepreneurial, science-based pharmaceutical company specializing in pain, gout and inflammation. Our ambition is to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with high unmet medical need by 2022 and become a € 2 bn company. We are a fully integrated research and development company with a long track record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients. By sustainably investing in our R&D above the industrial average, we are strongly committed to innovation.

Grünenthal is an independent, family-owned company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. We are present in 32 countries with affiliates in Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,500 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2016, Grünenthal achieved revenues of approx. € 1.4 bn.

For more information, please visit: http://www.grunenthal.com

Follow us on LinkedIn "Grunenthal Group".

For further information, please contact: 

Štěpán Kráčala, Global Head Corporate Communications

Tel.: +49 241 569-1335, Stepan.Kracala@grunenthal.com

Grünenthal GmbH, 52099 Aachen, Germany

(R): Tramal is a registered trademark of Grünenthal Group

About Mundipharma  

Mundipharma is a network of independent associated companies which are privately owned entities covering pharmaceutical markets in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. The headquarters for these territories is in Singapore. Mundipharma is a prime example of a company that consistently delivers high quality products while standing by the values that represent the company. Our mission is to alleviate the suffering of patients and to substantially improve their quality of life. Mundipharma is dedicated to bringing to patients the benefit of novel treatment options in fields such as pain, oncology, oncology supportive care, ophthalmology, respiratory disease and consumer healthcare.

For more information, please visit: http://www.mundipharma.com.cn/

For further information, please contact: 

Stephenie Vasko

Head of Communications & Digital Strategy

Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa & Latin America

+65-6303-9732

SOURCE Grünenthal Group