Apnimed acquires global rights to sulthiame

Opening the door to wider treatment access and faster adoption of oral therapies for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep-related breathing diseases, Cambridge, USA-based Apnimed has acquired the intellectual property and exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize sulthiame, a differentiated carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, from Germany’s Desitin Arzneimittel.

Developed through Shionogi-Apnimed Sleep Science (SASS), a joint venture with Japan’s Shionogi (TYO: 4507), sulthiame adds a new mechanism of action to Apnimed’s pipeline and complements the company's lead candidate, AD109, of which Apnimed is expecting to announce top-line Phase III results in the coming weeks.

Under the terms of the deal, Desitin will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, future milestone payments and royalties on future sales. As part of the transaction, SASS will also explore the use of sulthiame in additional sleep and breathing diseases including Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS).