Novo Nordisk pays Neose milestone payment

Neose has received a milestone payment from Novo Nordisk under the terms of a license agreement from November 2003 regarding the development of a new version of factor VIIa using its GlycoPEGylation product.

Factor VII/VIIa is used to prevent bleeding in surgery or similar procedures and to treat episodes of bleeding in patients with haemophilia that have inhibitors to coagulation factors factor VIII or factor IX.

The companies are also currently collaborating in the development of next-generation versions of factors VIII and IX.

George J Vergis, president and chief executive officer of Neose, said: “Our collaboration with Novo Nordisk has been very productive and we are excited about the product profile improvement GlycoPEGylation provides to Novo Nordisk’s FVIIa.”

Novo Nordisk is currently the only participant in the recombinant factor VII market worldwide, which was valued at around $850 million (437.4 million pounds) last year.

The company’s NovoSeven has been approved for treatment of spontaneous incidents of bleeding in patients with haemophilia that have developed inhibitors to their existing factor VIII or IX treatment.

It is suggested that it may prove an effective preventative treatment at phase II clinical trials, with patients that had experienced four or more bleeding episodes in the previous month being administered with a daily dose of the compound over a three month period.