Danish companies agree siramesine deal

Danish firms H Lundbeck AS and TopoTarget have entered into an agreement to develop the former's agent siramesine for cancer indications. Having established the accord, TopoTarget said that it will employ its expertise and in-house models to identify the most appropriate disease targets for subsequent clinical assessment.

Siramesine, which was originally intended to treat diseases of the central nervous system, has demonstrated considerable activity in preclinical cancer models in trials conducted by the Danish Cancer Society. Specifically, the drug was shown to induce caspase-independent apoptosis in cancerous cells, both as a monotherapy and in combination with currently marketed oncology products.

Under the agreement, financial terms of which were not disclosed, TopoTarget has been granted rights to develop siramesine for oncology. The biotechnology firm said that it will focus on conducting Phase II trials of the drug in the treatment of specific cancer indications. Any future income resulting from the successful commercialization of products developed under the accord will be split evenly between the two parties.