Pharmacopeia, an innovator in the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics, has extended its ongoing drug discovery and development collaboration with Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. The companies have elected to expand the scope of their collaboration to include an additional disease target against which Pharmacopeia is expected to produce candidates for Neurocrine.

Based on the terms of the collaboration, Pharmacopeia is entitled to receive milestone payments from Neurocrine if collaboration programs progress into and through clinical development. Additionally, if therapeutic products are marketed based on compounds derived from the collaboration, Pharmacopeia will be entitled to receive royalties on sales.

"We are very excited about our collaboration with Neurocrine as it enables us to apply our proven drug discovery and development platform to central nervous system and metabolic disease targets," Les Browne, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacopeia said adding, "We have enjoyed a productive collaboration with Neurocrine to date and look forward to continuing our success by delivering high-value candidates against this latest disease target."

In 2003, Pharmacopeia and Neurocrine established their existing collaboration with the goal of producing compounds against multiple disease targets that Neurocrine would advance into development and onto the market. Since the collaboration's initiation, Pharmacopeia has delivered Neurocrine a number of compounds against selected disease targets, stated a company release.

Pharmacopeia currently has ten compounds in development, each partnered with a major pharmaceutical or biotechnology company. Six of these compounds are in preclinical development. Four compounds (representing three partnered, therapeutic programs) are currently in Phase I clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis, an allergy/asthma indication and an inflammation indication. Pharmacopeia will receive milestone payments for those programs that successfully advance through clinical development and royalties on the sales of any compounds that are ultimately commercialized.