German drugmaker Jerini and U.S.-based Baxter have reported progress in their collaborative research program to develop a non-intravenous therapy for the treatment of hemophilia. Extensive in vitro and in vivo analyses have identified several synthetic lead molecules with promising pharmacological properties, the companies said.

"Using our proprietary technology platform, we continue to make important progress in our collaboration with Baxter, the leader in hemophilia therapy," said Jens Schneider-Mergener, CEO Jerini. "We are encouraged by the identification of these molecules and the evaluation of the potential to treat hemophilia using a non-intravenous therapy with molecules that can be synthetically produced," he added.

The collaboration between Baxter and Jerini was first initiated in 2001 and expanded in 2004. Under the terms of the agreement, Jerini received an upfront payment, with the potential for milestone payments for achieving discovery, preclinical and clinical goals as well as royalties in the event of marketing approval.