Organon announces acquisition of Kadmus Pharmaceuticals' FAAH inhibitor technology

28-Jun-2007

N.V. Organon, the human healthcare business unit of Akzo Nobel, announced an asset purchase of the Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) technology from Kadmus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Irvine CA (USA).

Under the asset purchase agreement, Organon has acquired world-wide rights and control of all assets relating to FAAH owned or controlled by Kadmus Pharmaceuticals. These assets include KDS-4103, a phase 1-ready compound under exclusive license from the University of California at Irvine; several patent families owned by Kadmus; and the Kadmus compound library including novel second generation FAAH inhibitors. In addition, Organon has agreed to employ a majority of Kadmus staff to ensure appropriate transfer of the technology and has maintained Kadmus Pharmaceuticals' relationship with one of the founders, Dr. Daniele Piomelli. The transaction includes an upfront payment to Kadmus and future success-based milestone payments for the lead compound and any back-up and/or follow-on compounds developed and commercialized.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is a mammalian integral membrane enzyme that has been shown to catalyze the degradation of the fatty acid ethanolamide (FAE) family of endogenous signaling lipids, including the endogenous cannabinoid (CB) receptor agonist anandamide, thus terminating their effects.

Inhibitors of FAAH are being developed as promising new pharmacological agents that selectively augment endogenous cannabinoid ("endocannabinoid") activity without the side effects associated with global CB receptor activation. This class of agents shows considerable promise for treating several types of pain, anxiety, depression and other potential spin-off indications.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/65727/organon-announces-acquisition-of-kadmus-pharmaceuticals-faah-inhibitor-technology.html