NicOx SA announced the expansion of its research and co-development agreement with the Swedish pharmaceutical research-based company Biolipox on a novel class of nitric oxide-donating therapeutics in the respiratory field, originally signed in June 2001.

The collaboration combines NicOx's intellectual property and know-how in the nitric oxide field with Biolipox's expertise in the characterization of mechanisms and screening of compounds for the treatment of airway diseases in order to identify novel drug candidates. NicOx will synthesize a series of patented new compounds for pre-clinical evaluation by Biolipox. Compounds successfully completing the pre-clinical phase will be advanced into Phase I clinical trials. The agreement foresees joint collaboration on the lead compounds emerging from this new series of nitric oxide-donating drugs and proportional sharing of any revenues from successful products.

The decision to expand the collaboration has been based on the success of the research program to date, and future research will include additional therapeutic classes.

Carl-Johan Dalsgaard, CEO of Biolipox, commented: "For Biolipox this extended alliance promises to complement our own accelerating research and development activities by giving us increased access to nitric oxide-donating drugs. This alliance addresses large market opportunities with significant unmet medical need".

Michele Garufi, Chairman and CEO of NicOx, commented: "Strategic alliances with specialist companies like Biolipox will allow NicOx to fully exploit its intellectual property position and accelerate the identification and screening of new drug candidates. We believe that the specific focus of this collaboration may represent a significant advance in the treatment of inflammatory airway diseases".