NeuShen Therapeutics, a Sino-US biopharmaceutical company, has entered into a licensing agreement with Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc. (HKG: 1513), a Chinese pharmaceutical firm. The agreement grants Livzon exclusive rights and interests to NeuShen’s small molecule NS-041 in Greater China. NeuShen will retain the lead role in the development and commercialization of the drug in other regions globally.
Under the terms of the deal, Livzon will make an undisclosed upfront payment to NeuShen and is also committed to paying research and development milestone payments and sales commissions. NS-041 is a KCNQ2/3 activator that is being developed to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy and depression. The drug is currently undergoing a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled Phase I study in China. Encouraging preclinical efficacy and safety data have been observed, indicating that NS-041 has the potential to emerge as a best-in-class product for these indications.- Flcube.com