Eli Lilly is to buy back worldwide marketing rights for Yentreve/AriClaim (duloxetine hydrochloride) from Boehringer Ingelheim. As a stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treatment, along with future related urinary incontinence indications, the drug will continue to be marketed outside the US by Lilly but other treatments using duloxetine will remain under both firms.

Lilly president and chief operating officer John Lechleiter said: "Based on our collective experiences to date in the marketplace, both companies believe that the Yentreve/AriClaim opportunity is best suited and can be best commercialised in markets outside the US with the support of one company. "This is about 'right sizing' our investments to address our greatest opportunities and the greatest patient needs." Dr Alessandro Banchi, Boehringer Ingelheim chairman of the board of managing directors, added: "There has been an excellent spirit of collaboration in our alliance with Lilly.

"Based on this, we are committed to the continued success in our partnership to commercialise duloxetine for indications other than SUI in markets outside the US." Under the trademarks Cymbalta/Xeristar duloxetine is used for major depressive disorder (MDD) and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). SUI is the most common form of urinary incontinence and is thought to affect around one in seven women over the age of 20.