An inhaled mental health drug could appear on the market in the near future under a collaboration announced Wednesday by Biovail Corp. and Alexza Pharmaceuticals.
Biovail subsidiary Biovail Labs International SRL and Alexza said they would work together to develop and commercialize AZ-004 (loxapine) in the United States and Canada. The drug is based on Alexza’s proprietary Staccato technology and is an inhaled drug designed to treat agitation in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Alexza submitted an approval application for the drug to the Food and Drug Administration in December 2009.