Formosa Pharmaceuticals Signs Licensing Deal with Arrotex for Commercialisation of Clobetasol Propionate Ophthalmic Suspension in Australia and New Zealand
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Formosa Pharmaceuticals has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Arrotex Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd for the commercialisation of clobetasol propionate ophthalmic suspension 0.05% (APP13007) in Australia and New Zealand. The product is used to treat inflammation and pain following ocular surgery.
Under the agreement, Arrotex will receive exclusive rights to market the product in the two countries. The deal includes upfront payments, regulatory and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties over the term of the agreement.
APP13007 contains clobetasol propionate, a superpotent corticosteroid. It has been developed using Formosa’s proprietary APNT® nanoparticle formulation platform. The formulation received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2024. It is designed to be administered twice daily for 14 days, offering fast and sustained relief from post-surgical inflammation and pain.
In a US survey of 100 ophthalmic surgeons, around 80% of patients were reported to be pain-free four days after surgery when treated with APP13007. The product also showed a low rate of adverse events, at below 2%.
The licensing territory records around 250,000 cataract surgeries each year, with steady year-on-year growth expected.
Formosa stated that the agreement supports the expansion of APP13007 into new markets and strengthens its international presence. Arrotex, which supplies around half of Australia’s medicine volume and has a strong position in ophthalmology, will use its national distribution network to make the treatment available to patients recovering from ocular surgery across Australia and New Zealand.
Source: formosapharma.com
