Ligand, Chiva in HepDirect deal

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND) granted Chiva Pharmaceuticals Inc. rights in China to develop and commercialize HBV candidate Pradefovir and liver cancer candidate MB01733. Both compounds use Ligand's HepDirect liver targeting technology. Pradefovir is a prodrug of PMEA, the active metabolite in adefovir, and has completed Phase II studies in the U.S. MB01733 is a liver prodrug formulation of cytarabine that has completed a U.S. Phase I/II trial. ...