Arena gets $4M fee from Merck & Co under GPCR accord

The USA's Arena Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of MK-0354, its orally-administered drug candidate for the treatment of atherosclerosis and related disorders. The Arena-originated agent is also under development by US major Merck & Co and the move prompted the latter to make a $4.0 million milestone payment under their research and license agreement centered on compounds targeting G protein-coupled receptors with the potential to regulate plasma lipid profiles.

The Phase II clinical evaluation is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that will further assess safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics, as well as potential efficacy, of MK-0354 in patients with dyslipidemia. According to Arena, the Phase I trial program found the agent to be "generally well-tolerated" at all doses studied.