The Basque pharmaceutical company Faes Farma and Menarini, the latter having the rights to market Bilastina in 51 countries, came to an agreement with the French multinational company Pierre Fabre to market a second Bilastine brand in France and Belgium. Menarini and Pierre Fabre's joint effort will enable patients to make use of this molecule researched and developed by the Basque firm for the treatment of rhinitis and urticaria.

The agreement signed between Faes Farma and Menarini in 2007 provides for co-marketing in certain areas; accordingly, Faes Farma will get the downpayments and royalties generated from such deals.
The incorporation of leading laboratories to the project, such as Pierre Fabre and Menarini, promotes Bilastine's value. The drug will possible get approval in most European countries in the short term.

The French antihistamine drug market is the largest in Europe. This, together with the Belgium pharmaceutical market relevance, provides good prospects to Bilastine, marketed under Menarini and Pierre Fabre brands. This is the second co-marketing agreement signed for European countries, after the one signed with Vianex for the Greek market in 2009. Similar negotiations are under way for other European countries.

International expansion is one of Faes Farma's key objectives. In fact, the licensing of drugs, such as Bilastine, has placed Faes Farma in a prominent position in over 60 countries. Bilastine is one of the company's proprietary products leading the Respiratory area, one of Faes Farma's preferred research fields.