Servier Joins Xention To Develop AF Drug In Up To $163.2M Deal

Servier will join Xention in advancing development and commercialization of its lead product XEN-D0103, a selective Kv1.5 modulator for atrial fibrillation (AF) that has completed a Phase I study, in a deal that could net Xention up to €120 million ($163.2 million), the companies said today.

Under a multiyear agreement, Servier received an option to acquire certain intellectual property rights from Xention, as well as to further develop and commercialize XEN-D0103 in all territories except the United States and Japan, where those rights will be retained by Xention. The companies also agreed to undertake two Phase II clinical studies designed to demonstrate the efficacy of XEN-D0103 in reducing AF burden in paroxysmal AF.

Servier agreed to pay Xention up-front fees, option fees, and milestone payments totalling €120 million ($163.2 million).

XEN-D0103 is a potent and selective blocker of the potassium channel expressed in the atria, and holds promise as a new target for AF, the companies said. XEN-D0103 was found safe and well tolerated in a Phase I clinical trial whose results were reported last year.

"Participating in the development of this innovative drug in atrial fibrillation further expands our portfolio of drugs aimed at treating various cardiac diseases, and at offering patients with this very debilitating disease a new treatment opportunity," Servier CEO Jean Philippe Seta, M.D., said in a statement.

Xention specializes in discovery and development of ion channel-modulating drugs. The company is developing a pipeline of AF drugs that include modulators of IKACh as well as Kv1.5. AF is among cardiovascular diseases that constitute a principal therapeutic research focus of Servier, along with diabetes, neuropsychiatric disorders, cancer, and rheumatology.

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