Actelion and Nippon Shinyaku form partnership over PAH candidate

Actelion has announced that it is to collaborate with Japanese pharma firm Nippon Shinyaku on a new compound indicated for use in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The two companies signed a binding letter of intent regarding Nippon Shinyaku’s new long-acting prostaglandin I2 (PGI-2) receptor antagonist NS-304.

Under the agreement, both firms will undertake development of NS-304 in the Japanese market while Actelion will be solely responsible for the global development and commercialisation of the compound outside Japan.

Jean-Paul Clozel, chief executive office of Actelion, expressed the company’s delight in working with Nippon Shinyaku in the development of the candidate.

“Together with Actelion’s exceptional expertise in the area of pulmonary arterial hypertension, be it development or marketing, I am confident that the two parties have the best chance to again improve PAH care in the coming years,” he added.

President of Nippon Shinyaku, Shigenobu Maekawa, suggested that the collaboration would provide PAH patients with a “novel and important treatment option”.

Nippon Shinyaku has recently finished a phase I evaluation of the candidate in the UK and a phase II programme was initiated in Europe last year.

Last year, Actelion announced the launch of the largest ever study demonstrating the morbidity and mortality benefits of its endothelin receptor agonist in patients with PAH.