This new class of compounds is expected to be comparable to opioids, the current gold standard in pain relief, in terms of efficacy, but not to possess the major drawbacks of tolerance and dependence which limits the use of opioids.
Under the terms of the agreement the collaborators will develop and evaluate the efficacy of five novel compounds for the treatment of moderate to severe pain.
The Universities, which discovered the compounds, will be responsible for their synthesis, while Eurand will over-see the preclinical evaluation and development of the products and will use its proprietary drug delivery technologies to optimise the release profiles of the drugs.
Eurand has an option for exclusive worldwide development and commercialisation rights.
“In-licencing of select molecules forms a core element of our internal product development strategy and this is the third such agreement signed by Eurand since we commenced this program,” commented Gearoid Faherty, CEO of Eurand.