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Novartis gets eczema candidate in Ziarco takeout

December 16, 2016 11:24 PM UTC

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) is acquiring Ziarco Group Ltd. (Canterbury, U.K.). The deal gives the pharma ZPL-389, an oral histamine H4 receptor (HRH4; H4) antagonist that has completed a Phase IIa trial to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Financial terms are undisclosed.

In May, Ziarco said ZPL-389 missed the primary endpoint of pruritus reduction vs. placebo in a Phase IIa trial. However, the candidate reduced mean Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score from baseline to week eight by 50% vs. 27% for placebo (p=0.01) (see BioCentury Extra, May 16)...

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