Under the terms of the agreement, Debiopharm will make an up-front payment to Pharmaleads, as well as further payments as Pharmaleads reaches predefined development milestones.
Following authorization from the French Medicine Agency, Debio 0827 is about to enter a single ascending dose Phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled single oral dose escalation study in France, to investigate its safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers.
Debio 0827 is the first in a new class of painkillers that could be used in the treatment of chronic pain conditions, primarily in neuropathic pain, the two companies said.
Thierry Bourbie, chairman and CEO of Pharmaleads, said: “This exclusive licensing agreement is very exciting and promising: it will speed up the development of a totally new class of painkillers, hence confirming the validity of our science and chemistry, as well as our capabilities as a drug discovery and early development company.”