AstraZeneca returns worldwide rights to Infinity

AstraZeneca has announced it has returned worldwide rights to Infinity Pharmaceuticals.

The privileges regard the development and commercialisation of Infinity’s heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) drug candidates IPI-504 (MEDI-561) and IPI-493 – used in development for the treatment of cancer and related conditions.

Initiated in August 2006, the collaboration between the two companies was transferred to AstraZeneca following its acquisition of MedImmune in June 2007.

After consultation and review of research and development, investment priorities, the company then returned experiment investigations and commercialisation responsibilities to Infinity.

Research of the drugs has seen Infinity initiating a late stage trial of IPI-504 in patients with refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumours, a rare growth of the gastrointestinal tract.

Earlier this week, AstraZeneca and Targacept announced results from a phase IIb clinical study of AZD3480 (TC-1734).

Named the Halo trial, the research aimed to find a therapy for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia and, as a result of AZD3480 not meeting the trial’s criteria for statistical significance on the primary endpoints, the partnership said it does not expect to progress to phase III studies.

Speaking at the time, Bob Holland, vice-president and head of the Neuroscience Therapy Area at AstraZeneca, said: “While this trial outcome did not meet our objectives, we continue to pursue medicines that target neuronal nicotinic receptors with Targacept to treat cognitive disorders.”