Under the terms of the extended agreement, the companies will continue their research collaboration for a minimum of three years, with options to extend the alliance for an additional two years.
AstraZeneca is presently engaged in phase I clinical development activities with a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) active molecule discovered together with NPS.
“We are pleased to continue this collaboration with AstraZeneca, which has been very productive and has resulted in multiple lead product candidates for a variety of potential indications,” said Dr Hunter Jackson, chairman and CEO of NPS. “AstraZeneca’s continued desire to work with NPS reflects our shared enthusiasm for the prospects of generating multiple and important new products from this program.”