Santhera and Juvantia collaborate on fipamezole

Liestal, Switzerland-based Santhera Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on neuromuscular diseases, and Juvantia Pharma, a Finnish biotechnology company, say that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to advance the development of the latter's fipamezole (JP-1730) for the treatment of dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease patients. A Phase IIa clinical trial in the USA has already shown proof-of-concept for fipamezole and a fast track registration status has been granted by the Food and Drug Administration.

The collaboration is aimed at advancing fipamezole through a larger-scale Phase IIb clinical trial next year to confirm the encouraging results seen in the earlier Phase IIa study. Santhera will be responsible for conducting and funding development work and has a call option to secure all rights to the product via the acquisition of all Juvantia shares at a later time. No further financial terms of the deal were disclosed.