Under the extension, which was permitted under the terms of the existing agreement, established in December 2003, Merck will continue to contribute drug candidates to the collaboration and fund Metabasis’ efforts to apply its technologies to those candidates with the goal of producing a candidate suitable for clinical development.
The agreement was expanded to provide for use of certain other technologies in addition to Metabasis’ proprietary HepDirect technology.
The HepDirect technology is a prodrug technology that specifically targets production of the biologically active form of certain drugs to the liver. Preclinical studies have shown that use of the HepDirect technology may result in higher active drug concentrations in the liver and decreased exposure to non-liver tissue. Accordingly, HepDirect prodrugs may have the potential to improve efficacy, reduce toxicity and thus improve the treatment of liver and liver-related diseases.
Metabasis’ HepDirect product candidate for the treatment of hepatitis B is currently in phase II clinical development.