NPS, AstraZeneca research and development collaboration extended

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Feb. 8 - NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. said AstraZeneca plc has elected to extend its strategic alliance with NPS to discover, develop and market new drugs targeting metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) for the treatment of various central nervous system and gastrointestinal disorders.

Under the terms of the extended agreement, the companies will continue their research collaboration for a minimum of three years with options to extend for an additional two years.

AstraZeneca is engaged in phase 1 clinical development activities with an mGluR active molecule discovered together with NPS, according to a company news release.

"We are pleased to continue this collaboration with AstraZeneca, which has been very productive and has resulted in multiple lead product candidates for a variety of potential indications," NPS chairman and chief executive officer Hunter Jackson said in the release.

NPS is a pharmaceutical company based in Salt Lake City that discovers, develops and commercializes small molecules and recombinant proteins as drugs, primarily for the treatment of metabolic, bone and mineral and central nervous system disorders.

AstraZeneca is a London-based health care company that researches, develops, manufactures and markets prescription pharmaceuticals and provides health care services.

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