XOMA's perindopril and amlodipine FDC meets primary endpoint in Ph III blood pressure trial

California, USA-based XOMA Corp (Nasdaq: XOMA) says the 837-patient Phase III PATH trial (Perindopril Amlodipine for the Treatment of Hypertension) has demonstrated the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of perindopril arginine combined with amlodipine besylate is statistically significantly superior to either compound alone in reducing both sitting diastolic and sitting systolic blood pressure after six weeks of treatment.

XOMA acquired US rights to the perindopril franchise from France’s Laboratoires Servier, XOMA's partner for its lead product candidate, gevokizumab (formerly XOMA 052), which failed in mid-stage trials but is now being studied by the US firm as an acne treatment and for the non-infectious form of the eye disease uveitis (The Pharma Letter January 18). The leading French independent drugmaker entered into a development and commercialization deal with XOMA last year for XOMA 052, which involved an upfront of $35 million and $470 million in milestones which could reach as much as $800 if XOMA does not re-acquire US rights (TPL January 5, 2011). Servier markets the fixed-dose combination product as Coveram in 91 countries outside the USA.

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