Pfizer Inc. has announced that it has an agreement in place to acquire Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $195 million. Encysive is a biotechnology company that has a product currently marketed in the European Union, and several other foreign markets, for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension. The product, THELIN (sitaxsentan sodium), is an endothelin A receptor antagonist. THELIN has been approved in Australia and Canada, but is still awaiting approval in the U.S. Pfizer has indicated that it will conduct the necessary Phase III trial to move the
drug toward approval. Encysive has several other drug candidates in its pipeline in various clinical stages of development. Pfizer has indicated that Encysive will eventually be merged with a Pfizer subsidiary.
For additional information, please see:
• Reuters report
Jason Derry, Ph.D., who graduated with honors from DePaul University College of Law, is a molecular biologist and founding author of Patent Docs.
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