Inflazyme: The best laid plans

Companies with more than one product in their pipelines have an incentive to determine whether such compounds are promising or whether resources should be diverted to back-ups or other programs. However, efforts to make such decisions quickly can meet with frustrating delays.

For example, Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals Ltd. had hoped to conduct a short efficacy study of its IPL576,092 asthma compound to help it design a key Phase IIa trial for partner Aventis S.A. But IZP has run into an unexpected snag with the U.K. regulatory authorities...