Genaissance licenses Merck KgaA's vilazodone

Germany-based Merck KGaA says it has granted exclusive worldwide rights for its antidepressant vilazodone to Genaissance of the USA. Under the terms of the accord, Merck will receive up to 36 million euros ($44 million) worth of common shares of the US firm for the initial license fee and milestone payments up to the first commercial sale, as well as royalties. During the first half of next year, Genaissance intends to commence enrollment for a Phase II trial of vilazodone that will include pharmacogenomic characterization of patients. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and 5-HT1A partial agonist was originally being developed with UK drug major GlaxoSmithKline, but the latter dropped the drug earlier this year on the basis of disappointing findings from a Phase IIb trial (Marketletter April 28).