UCB S.A. (Euronext:UCB) acquired rights to intranasal midazolam (USL261) from the Proximagen LLC subsidiary of Acova Inc. (Plymouth, Minn.). Proximagen will receive $150 million up front and is eligible for $220 million in milestones.
The Belgian pharma plans to submit an NDA to FDA this year for the short-acting benzodiazepine derivative to treat acute repetitive seizures in epilepsy patients.
The product, which has completed Phase III testing, has FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations.
UCB's existing epilepsy portfolio includes marketed drugs Briviact brivaracetam, Keppra levetiracetam and Vimpat lacosamide. Briviact and Keppra target synaptic vesicle protein (SV2A) ligand, while Vimpat selectively enhances slow inactivation of sodium channels and modulates collapsin response mediator protein-2 (DPYSL2; CRMP-2).