MARUHO AND SKYEPHARMA SIGN DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING AGREEMENT FOR DEPOBUPIVACAINE IN JAPAN

Maruho Company Limited ("Maruho") and SkyePharma PLC announce that they have entered into a strategic agreement for the development, marketing and distribution of DepoBupivacaine(TM) in Japan. DepoBupivacaine(TM) is SkyePharma's novel sustained-release injectable formulation of the local anaesthetic bupivacaine and is designed to provide localised pain relief for more than 48 hours after a surgical operation.
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