"NEWS" DU 26/05/09 18H Auj. à 21:00
NicOx to shift from nitric oxide-donating approach
Today
Christopher Spillane
NicOx has told Scrip that its future business does not completely lie in nitric oxide-donating compounds, a mainstay of its business since its inception in 1996. The French firm said that it will start to step away from its traditional focus as it seeks to become a commercial operation.
"It's most likely the next things we bring in to feed the pipeline are not going to come from nitric-oxide donating compounds at all," said Dr Gavin Spencer, vice-president of business development.
Although its commercial outlook would move from NO-donating compounds, NicOx reiterated the strength of its R&D scope, adding that "there's still a lot to be done with the technology".
Just last month, the firm acquired Nitromed's NO-donating compounds in a €6 million deal that handed it the strongest intellectual property for the technology worldwide (scripnews.com, April 24th, 2009).
The company's lead product naproxcinod, for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, symbolises its development history of nitric-oxide donating compounds.
The Phase III compound met its co-primary efficacy endpoints in its third pivotal trial. However, NicOx says that its mechanism lowers blood pressure unlike other anti-inflammatories, like NSAIDS, which have been linked with increased risk of heart attack and stroke (scripnews.com, December 2nd, 2008).
NicOx plans to commercialise the product in the US first before moving it into the European market, while its other regional rights will be licensed out. The firm will market naproxcinod using a 150-plus sales force in a specialty area and will partner it with a company which has a strong primary care presence.
Discussing NicOx's drive towards becoming a commercial operation, Sanjiv Sharma, commercial vice-president, said: "Our wish list would be to have someone with a product already in the market – not necessarily a big product – it could be as simple as doing a little co-promotion deal with another company because we have spare capacity."
"In the mid-to-long term we would develop our own pipeline products and in-license pipeline products and develop them into the market," he added.
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