Renin rush

A handful of companies, including big pharma players, are playing catch up to Novartis AG in the renin inhibitor space. Vitae Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the latest beneficiary, as the biotech last week partnered its renin inhibitor program with GlaxoSmithKline plc. The hope is that Vitae's compounds will have advantages over the first generation. In addition, there's a consensus that the hypertension market has room for multiple players.

The rationale for renin inhibitors in hypertension is well known: inhibit the enzyme at the top of the blood pressure cascade and reduce not only blood pressure, but also harmful effects on other organs and morbidity/mortality. Novartis (NVS; SWX:NOVN, Basel, Switzerland) is the furthest along - its Aliskiren is in Phase III testing - but there's a contingent of preclinical and Phase I renin inhibitor plays that are hoping to overcome Aliskiren's presumed shortcomings, which include size and bioavailability. ...