Novartis has signed an exclusive global license agreement with Arrow Therapeutics, Ltd. for A-60444, a first-in-class therapy in development for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. RSV is the most common respiratory virus in infants.

Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis obtains the rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize A-60444 as well as rights to back-up compounds and a right of first negotiation on follow-up compounds. A-60444 is in Phase I/II clinical trials and is the industry's most advanced small molecule in development for RSV. Arrow completed a Phase I dose escalating pharmacodynamics, safety and tolerability study in healthy volunteers last year.

RSV is an area of high unmet medical need as current treatment options are limited. No RSV-specific anti-virals are currently available, and the only commonly used treatment option is used to prevent infection in high-risk infants and has limited efficacy.

Thomas Ebeling, CEO of Novartis Pharma AG says, "RSV leads to hospitalization of 125,000 infants in the US each year and 2,500 deaths, which points to the public health issues yet to be addressed. As the most advanced RSV-specific antiviral in development, A-60444 has the potential to offer a more effective and safer treatment option than currently available therapies."

RSV is a virus that causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages. It infects 50-70% of all infants during the first year of life and is the leading cause of infant hospitalization, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. RSV can also cause severe lower respiratory tract disease at any age, especially among the elderly, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and immuno-compromised persons, such as transplant and cancer patients.