Chippenham-based specialist drug firm Vectura has received a €1.5m (£1.18m) ‘milestone’ payment after securing approval in Portugal for its innovative respiratory inhaler AirFluSal Forspiro.
Vectura’s partner Sandoz, the Swiss-owned global leader in generic medicines, has been granted marketing authorisation by the Portuguese Health Authority for the new inhaler aimed at patients with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 
The authorisation by Sandoz has triggered a milestone payment to Vectura of €1.5m.
The inhaler has now been approved in 10 European countries, as well as South Korea and Mexico, and launched in five.
Vectura initially developed the product and created the design of the innovative inhaler, before licensing the asset to Sandoz in 2006.
It was subsequently developed in collaboration with Vectura as by German firm Aeropharm at Sandoz’s global respiratory center of excellence.
