Topigen to develop NicOx respiratory drug

The license and development agreement covers NicOx’s phase IIa compound, NCX 1020, for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory disorders.

Topigen has secured rights to NCX 1020 in North America, in return for a E2 million ($2.4 million) upfront payment and up to E52.9 million ($64 million) in milestones and commercial success fees. This comes in addition to a share in future revenues.

NCX 1020 is a novel, proprietary, nitric oxide-donating derivative of budesonide, which is a widely-prescribed inhaled corticosteroid for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

According to NicOx, COPD represents the fourth-leading cause of death in the US and is projected to become the third-leading cause of death by 2020. Current treatments improve quality of life and provide symptomatic relief in some patients. However, there are no drugs available that can slow the progressive decline in lung function which is characteristic of the disease.

Dr Paul Wotton president and CEO of Topigen, said: “NCX 1020 is an excellent drug candidate for the treatment of COPD. It represents an exciting new class of nitric oxide-donating therapeutics targeted at inflammation in lung disorders. In our own laboratory, we have shown that the product has unique pharmacologic properties which target specific markers of COPD.”