Date: 2015-12-18
Type of information: Product acquisition
Compound: Zuplenz® (ondansetron) Oral Soluble Film
Company: Galena Biopharma (USA - OR) Midatech Pharma (UK)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: product acquisition
Action mechanism: serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. Ondansetron is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. Serotonin receptors of the 5-HT3 type are present both peripherally on vagal nerve terminals and centrally in the chemoreceptor trigger zone of the area postrema. It is not certain whether ondansetron's antiemetic action is mediated centrally, peripherally, or in both sites. However, cytotoxic chemotherapy appears to be associated with release of serotonin from the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine. In humans, urinary 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) excretion increases after cisplatin administration in parallel with the onset of emesis. The released serotonin may stimulate the vagal afferents through the 5-HT3 receptors and initiate the vomiting reflex.
Disease: prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)
Details: * On December 18, 2015, Galena Biopharma announced it has entered into an agreement for the sale of its Zuplenz® (ondansetron) Oral Soluble Film product to Midatech Pharma Plc in a deal valued at up to $29.75 million, with $3.75 million cash upfront and up to $26 million in additional cash upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. In connection with the transaction, Galena will pay MonoSol Rx $900,000 of the upfront fee and 20% of any future milestone payments from sales of Zuplenz®. The transaction is expected to be completed on or prior to Thursday, December 24, 2015, subject to customary closing conditions.
Galena Biopharma will now focus on advancing its cancer immunotherapy clinical development pipeline, which is led by NeuVax™.
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