Gilead Buys Hypertension Drug Candidate

The biotech plans to begin a phase II trial on Cicletanine this year. It's already approved in parts of Europe.
By Elizabeth Trotta ,

Gilead Sciences

(GILD) - Get Report

said Thursday that it will buy assets related to Cicletanine -- a pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment of privately held

Navitas

-- and will begin a phase II trial on the drug this year.

Cicletanine is an oral, once-daily drug that's already approved in parts of Europe for hypertension and is being evaluated in three small pulmonary hypertension studies in Europe.

Under the agreement, Gilead will get exclusive rights to regulatory data and filings for Clicletanine as a monotherapy for PAH and for other indications in the U.S.

"Based on the data available in patients with PAH and the strong safety profile, as established in hypertension studies, we believe this product has important potential to address the unmet medical need that exists in the field of PAH, and we will work to advance our development program forward as quickly as possible," said Gilead's chief operating officer, John Milligan, in a statement after market close Thursday.

Foster City-Calif.-based Gilead's products include Flolan, an injected medication for the long-term IV treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertension, and Letairis, a treatment of PAH in patients with WHO Class II or III symptoms.

PAH, which affects about 200,000 patients worldwide, is characterized by constriction of the blood vessels in the lungs leading to high pulmonary arterial pressures that make it difficult for the heart to pump blood through the lungs.

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but Wyoming-based Navitas will receive an upfront payment and potential milestones on future sales.

Gilead shares, which closed the regular session up 3.3% at $55.35, were down 9 cents at $55.26 in recent after-hours trading Thursday.

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