Rigel Pharmaceuticals says it will assume development responsibilities for R343, an inhaled syk inhibitor for the treatment of allergic asthma after Pfizer returned all rights to the program. Pfizer had licensed R343, along with other inhaled syk inhibitors, from Rigel in 2005.
R343 works by binding to syk, a protein tyrosine kinase in mast cells involved in IgE receptor signaling, stopping immune responses to allergens. The drug has completed Phase 1 and is expected to begin Phase 2 trials by the end of 2011.
James M. Gower, chairman and CEO of Rigel commented, “It is rare in our business that one has the opportunity to develop an asset which is both promising and on which the research and development has been as well done as the package that Pfizer is transferring to us. R343 will now become Rigel’s most advanced in-house project.” He continued, “The introduction of a therapeutic that would target a possible underlying cause of allergic asthma, such as R343’s inhibition of syk in the immune cascade, may provide a significant advancement in the treatment of this disorder.”
Read the Rigel press release.
