Servier and Pharmacyclics end collaboration on abexinostat pan-HDAC inhibitor compounds

French privately-held drugmaker Servier is to end its collaboration with Pharmacyclics (Nasdaq: PCYC) in the development of the latter’s pan-HDAC inhibitor compounds involving abexinostat outside the USA. The global development and commercialization rights now revert to Pharmacyclics.

Bob Duggan, chairman and chief executive of Pharmacyclics, said: "We thank Servier for their contribution in forwarding abexinostat to its current stage of development, which includes having filed the patent applications that could extend patent protection to 2034. Now that we have full ownership of the abexinostat asset, we will enter a period of further evaluation to determine its usefulness in oncology."

Pascal Touchon, vice president of Servier business development and scientific cooperation, said: "We were pleased to work alongside with Pharmacyclics to explore abexinostat in several cancers, which is in line with the strong existing commitment of our Company to the field of oncology.”