Nitec Pharma acquires rights to PAZ’s anti-inflammatory drug

The in-licensing of Tarenflurbil broadens Nitec’s pipeline and underscores the company’s ambition to become a significant player focused on treating unmet medical needs in chronic inflammation and pain. Nitec will initiate clinical development of Tarenflurbil shortly and plans to conduct Phase IIa studies in the first indication.

Tarenflurbil is a novel inhibitor of the transcription regulator NF-kB and the transcription factor AP-1, both of which are important regulators of inflammation.

Anders Harfstrand, CEO of Nitec, said: “This licensing deal is a significant step in expanding the Nitec portfolio of development compounds. We have already validated our approach by successfully completing the clinical development of Lodotra, which is awaiting marketing authorization for rheumatoid arthritis in Europe. The licensing of Tarenflurbil broadens our portfolio and strengthens our position as an emerging specialty pharma company focused on chronic inflammation and pain.”