Sandoz announced that it has successfully completed the acquisition of worldwide brand rights for leading systemic antifungal agent Mycamine (micafungin sodium, Funguard in Japan) from Astellas.

Through this acquisition of the leading global echinocandin, one of three major antifungal classes, Sandoz significantly reinforces its global hospital offering and leading anti-infectives portfolio, the company said in its statement.

Astellas reported Mycamine sales of JPY 14.2 billion (USD 105 million) for the year ending March 31, 2023. The announcement comes after Sandoz successfully completed the acquisition of GSK’s global cephalosporins portfolio in October 2021.

“This is another sign of our commitment at Sandoz to driving responsible access to critical antimicrobial medicines. We are both investing in our production network and selectively building out our leading portfolio in this field to ensure that we can continue to offer patients around the world the right medicine at the right time,” Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor said in a statement.

Mycamine has a global patient base of well over two million. It is a therapy of choice in hospitals and intensive care units worldwide, a proven prophylactic in hematology and oncology patients, and widely used in organ transplants.

It is indicated for treatment of invasive candidiasis and esophageal candidiasis, which are currently both on the rise with a higher occurrence of associated hospital outbreaks, as well as prevention of candida and aspergillus infections in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.