Radiopharmaceutical developer NuView Life Sciences has signed an exclusive deal with Otsuka Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize VPAC1, NuView's investigative genomic-based diagnostic biomarker, for detecting breast and prostate cancer on PET scans.
All other future diagnostic imaging applications are also covered under the exclusive global licensing and collaboration agreement. NuView said it will retain rights to the VPAC1 compound for in-vivo therapeutic delivery and in-vitro urine screen applications.
Under the deal, Otsuka will fund all future clinical trials and worldwide commercialization of VPAC1, which was developed at Thomas Jefferson University by Dr. Matthew Thakur. The firms said that Otsuka intends to use NuView's US Radiopharmaceuticals manufacturing subsidiary to meet requirements for clinical trials.
A phase I trial is expected to begin in the coming months.
