Merck & Co pays NicOx $11.2M in global deal

French drugmaker NicOx SA and US pharmaceutical major Merck & Co have signed an agreement to collaborate on new antihypertensive drugs using NicOx' proprietary nitric oxide-donating technology, following the successful completion of a research accord between the two companies which has generated promising results.

Under the terms of the deal, NicOx will receive an upfront payment of 9.2 million euros ($ 11.2 million) and is eligible for potential further milestone payments of 279.0 million euros. The Paris-headquartered drugmaker has the option to co-promote on a fee-for-detail basis any products that result from the agreement to specialist physicians, such as cardiologists, in the USA and certain major European countries. Merck says it will also pay "industry-standard" royalties on the sales of all products resulting from the collaboration.

The agreement covers nitric oxide-donating derivatives of several major classes of antihypertensives for the treatment of high blood pressure, complications of hypertension and other cardiovascular and related disorders. Merck has the exclusive right to develop and commercialize antihypertensives that use NicOx' nitric oxide-donating technology for the treatment of systemic hypertension.