SkyePharma and Arakis sign COPD pact

SkyePharma and fellow UK firm Arakis have entered into an agreement tojointly develop a novel tissue-remodeling agent for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The companies will develop Arakis' AD 313, using SkyePharma's proprietary inhalation formulation and device technology, and the project will be funded jointly, with profits from the product (if it gets to the market) being shared equally.

SkyePharma said that currently-available therapies treat the symptoms of COPD, whereas AD 313 aims to halt the tissue destruction, "which is the underlying cause of the disease." The firms noted that the potential of AD 313 and its novel mechanism have been confirmed in a clinical proof-of-concept study, where changes in key markers of lung tissue destruction were observed in sputum samples following dose escalation.

Michael Ashton, SkyePharma's chief executive, said that the company is committed to investing in its own pipeline of value-added products manufactured from its broad technology platform, adding that "this development with Arakis is an excellent example of this approach in an important disease area with a large market potential." His counterpart at Arakis, Andy Richards, noted that "there is a real medical need for novel COPD therapies," claiming that "our clinical data confirm that AD 313 has the potential to meet this need."