Date: 2011-01-31
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: pruvanserin and sarizotan
Company: Newron (Italy) Merck Serono (Germany)
Therapeutic area: CNS diseases
Type agreement: Licensing
Action mechanism: Pruvanserin and sarizotan are highly selective compounds for specific serotonin or dopamine receptors and modulate the activity of these neurotransmitters in the brain.
Disease: CNS diseases
Details: Newron Pharmaceuticals has entered into an agreement that broadens the scope of the collaboration with Merck Serono. The two companies are already collaborating on the development of safinamide in Parkinson’s disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Newron will receive a development license for two Merck clinical-stage compounds, pruvanserin and sarizotan. Merck will retain buy-back options for each compound upon completion of proof of concept trials. Should these options be exercised by Merck, Newron will have a co-development option. No further financial terms are disclosed. Both compounds exhibit pharmacological properties and have clinical data that support further evaluation and development. Newron will assess the potential of these compounds in additional preclinical experiments prior to initiating proof of concept studies in central nervous systems (CNS) diseases.
Financial terms: Financial details were not disclosed.
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