Pfizer licenses NOX-B11 Spiegelmer technology to develop obesity treatment

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 23 - Noxxon Pharma AG announced Thursday a multi-year global collaboration with Pfizer Inc. regarding the discovery and development of Spiegelmer products.

The two companies also entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement relating to Noxxon's preclinical lead Spiegelmer for treating obesity, according to a company news release.

Under both agreements, Pfizer will make upfront cash payments as well as research and development milestone payments. Noxxon also is eligible to receive royalties on the sale of products commercialized under these agreements. Pfizer will also make an equity investment in Noxxon, officials said.

Under terms of the collaboration, Noxxon said it will use its Spiegelmer technology to create product candidates to disease-associated targets identified by Pfizer. Pfizer said it will have the option to select up to three targets per year to collaborate on with Noxxon.

Under the license, Noxxon granted to Pfizer an exclusive worldwide license to NOX-B11, a ghrelin binding Spiegelmer that was shown to curb ghrelin-mediated appetite and caused weight loss in preclinical animal studies, officials said.

Pfizer said it will be responsible for the worldwide development and commercialization of NOX-B11 and other future products developed under the collaboration.

"As a substance class, Spiegelmers are the next generation aptamers. They hold promise as a new therapeutic modality for treating numerous diseases," Thomas Klein, chief executive officer of Noxxon, said in the release.

Spiegelmers are mirror-image RNA molecules not found in nature. Because of their unique mirror image configuration, Spiegelmers exhibit high specificity and affinity and are not subject to degradation by nucleases. By screening extensive nucleic acid libraries, Noxxon identifies Spiegelmers that bind to the target molecule in a manner conceptually similar to antibodies.

Berlin, Germany-based Noxxon develops biostable aptamers, novel substances based on mirror image nucleic acids.

New York-based Pfizer is a research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products company.

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