Allergan Option On GMDP Products

Allergan of the USA and UK-based Peptech have entered into an option agreement for the development and commercialization of certain therapeutic products based on Peptech's synthetic glucosaminyl muramyl dipeptide (GMDP) for dermatological applications. Allergan also gains right of first refusal to license other potential applications of GMDP in the fields of ophthalmology and oncology.

Peptech has been developing GMDP for four years, with particular emphasis on the oral use of the drug for psoriasis, cancer and infections. The firm has concluded two Phase II trials in psoriasis, and believes that GMDP represents a new treatment option for this poorly-treated condition.

GMDP was acquired from the Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Moscow, Russia, in 1991. In December 1994, the Institute, in collaboration with Peptech, received first-stage registration of GMDP in Russia, and it is anticipated that the drug will be launched there before the end of the year.