Santhera Licenses Omigapil for Treatment of Rare Neuromuscular Diseases

Swiss drug company Santhera Pharmaceuticals announced a licensing agreement with Novartis covering the compound omigapil for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy.

According to Santhera, under the terms of the in-licensing agreement, Santhera will pay Novartis an upfront fee, and a further milestone payment upon entering into the pivotal clinical trial. 

In return, the company said it will have the right to use all preclinical and clinical data generated on omigapil.

Novartis retains the option to buy back the rights to omigapil under certain conditions, the company added.

Santhera said it will need to perform additional preclinical development work with SNT-317, given its intended use in children, before commencing a Phase II study. This trial is expected to start before the end of 2008.