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news.Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals has entered into global licensing agreement with US-based biopharmaceutical firm XenoPort for its clinical-stage oral product candidate arbaclofen placarbil.
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Under the deal, Reckitt will be granted exclusive worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of XenoPort’s arbaclofen placarbil for all indications.
Arbaclofen placarbil is a patent protected new chemical entity that Reckitt intends to advance into a Phase IIb proof-of-concept trial for the treatment of alcohol use disorders – a condition affecting more than 140 million people worldwide.
Alcoholism is directly responsible for more than 2.5 million deaths each year and is a causal factor in over 60 other major types of disease.
The existing treatment approach is predominantly psychosocial support and is largely non-medicalized.
The company said that arbaclofen placarbil will be tested for its ability to suppress alcohol cravings, reduce alcohol intake and to possibly facilitate maintenance of abstinence in alcohol dependent people.
In previous clinical trials, the drug has showed attributes that may enable convenient dosing, stable plasma exposure and good tolerability.
As part of the deal, Reckitt will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize arbaclofen placarbil worldwide for all indications, subject to certain rights by XenoPort to negotiate with Reckitt on collaborations for non-addiction indications.
In exchange, XenoPort is entitled to receive an up-front, non-refundable cash payment of $20m and another $5m upon the transfer of certain technology and materials to Reckitt.
XenoPort will also be eligible to receive aggregate cash payments of up to $70m upon the achievement by Reckitt of certain development and regulatory milestones, as well as up to $50m for commercial milestones.
Additionally, XenoPort is entitled to receive tiered double-digit royalty payments up to the mid-teens on a percentage basis on potential future net sales of arbaclofen placarbil in the US and high single-digit royalty payments on potential future net sales outside the US.
The agreement is subject to review by the U.S. Government under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, as amended, and will become effective only after clearing review.