Novartis buys Spinifex Pharmaceuticals acquiring their mid-stage neuropathic drug, EMA401

WASHINGTON - June 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Novartis will acquire Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, a US and Australian-based, privately held development stage company, focused on developing a peripheral approach to treat neuropathic pain.

Novartis will obtain Spinifex's mid-stage treatment EMA401, a novel angiotensin II Type 2 receptor (AT2R) antagonist expected to be an essential asset to the company's diversified developmental pipeline. Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition usually accompanied by tissue injury which affects approximately 7 to 8% of the adult population. Roughly 40% of patients who experience neuropathic pain do not respond to first-line treatments and another 25% do not respond to alternative second-line treatments. Utilizing an AT2R antagonist to leverage peripheral targets is an evolving approach for neuropathic pain treatment because these targets act outside the blood-brain barrier and could potentially alleviate common side effects in the central nervous system, such as dizziness or confusion. Spinifex's Phase II clinical trial of EMA401 produced positive results in post-herpetic neuralgia, a painful condition that develops in some people following herpes zoster (shingles). There were no central nervous system side effects or any serious adverse events observed in the study.

"Neuropathic pain is a chronic and debilitating condition with high unmet need. EMA401 could provide a novel, differentiated treatment approach to provide relief for patients and healthcare providers worldwide," said David Epstein, Head of Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

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