GSK and Ligand strike licensing deal
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The US company Ligand Pharmaceuticalshas licensed the worldwide rights to its product candidate LGD-4665, a thrombopoietin (TPO) oral mimetic, and other TPO-related molecules toGlaxoSmithKline. GSK will pay Ligand an upfront licence fee worth $5 million, a further $158 million in development and commercial milestones and 16% royalty on net sales. Interim clinical study results show that LGD-4665 has potential efficacy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and for weekly dosing. The deal will allow Ligand to "prioritise its development expenses on other promising programmes going forward", says John Higgins, Ligand's president and CEO.