Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Pharmaceuticals
August 28, 2019

Approval for the Additional Formulation of Samsca® OD Tablets in Japan

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announces the granting of approval in Japan for the additional dosage form of Samsca® OD Tablets (tolvaptan), a vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist.

Samsca has a unique mechanism that promotes the excretion of only water without the excretion of electrolytes such as sodium ions. In Japan, it was approved in October 2010 for the treatment of excess water retention in patients with cardiac failure, and in September 2013 for excess water retention for patients with hepatic cirrhosis. In March 2014, it was approved in Japan as the first treatment in the world to slow the progression of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD).

Tolvaptan has been approved since 2009 in the US and Europe for the treatment of hyponatremia. Since 2015, it has been approved for the treatment of ADPKD in Europe, Canada, and South Korea. Approval for the treatment of ADPKD in the US followed in 2018. Currently Samsca/JINARC*1/JYNARQUE*2 is approved for different indications in over 40 countries.

  1. 1Marketed as JINARC for the treatment of ADPKD outside Japan (except the US)
  2. 2brand name in the US