Zealand Pharma A/S (Zealand)(CPH:ZEAL) (NYSE:ZEAL), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, design and development of innovative peptide-based medicines, reported on Tuesday net sales of Soliqua 100/33/ Suliqua of DKK127m by Sanofi in Q2 2018.

This was an increase of 260 % over Q2 2017.

Also, Lyxumia/Adlyxin (lixisenatide) sales for the quarter amounted to DKK45m, down by 14% as compared with Q2 2017.

According to Zealand, it will receive Q2 2018 royalty revenues from Sanofi's sales of Soliqua 100/33/ Suliqua of DKK11.5m and from Lyxumia/Adlyxin (lixisenatide) of DKK3.6m.

Lixisenatide is a Zealand-invented once-daily prandial GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Zealand licensed the global development and commercialisation rights to lixisenatide to Sanofi. Lixisenatide is marketed under the brand name Lyxumia in over 45 countries and under the brand name Adlyxin in the US.

Sanofi has developed a fixed-dose combination of lixisenatide and insulin glargine 100 units/ml (Lantus), which is sold under the brand name Soliqua 100/33 in the US and Suliqua in Europe.

Soliqua 100/33 is approved in the US as an adjunct therapy to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin (less than 60 units daily) or lixisenatide alone.

(EUR1.00=DKK7.45)