The milestone is based on Wyeth and Curis’ continued progress in preclinical development of hedgehog pathway agonists for the treatment of stroke, neurological and other disorders. The milestone will trigger a modest payment from Wyeth to Curis in accordance with the terms of their 2004 agreement.
The Hedgehog signaling pathway regulates the normal development of the brain and spinal cord. Wyeth and Curis are collaborating to develop several promising small molecule agonist compounds that can activate the hedgehog signaling pathway and thereby promote nervous system repair.
Many of these small molecules are orally available and can enter into the brain and spinal cord, thus making them an attractive new class of drug development candidates for neurological disorders.
“We are very pleased with the progress that has been made with Wyeth in the hedgehog agonist program,” said Daniel Passeri, president and CEO of Curis. “The achievement of this milestone is an important next step in the path of bringing these promising drug candidates towards clinical trials and ultimately to the patients who need them.”