Novartis acquires Spinifex Pharmaceuticals

Novartis announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a US and Australian-based, privately held development stage company, focused on developing a peripheral approach to treat neuropathic pain such as EMA 401, a novel angiotensin II Type 2 receptor (AT2R) antagonist. Positive results from Spinifex's Phase II clinical trial of EMA 401 in post-herpetic neuralgia, a painful condition that develops in some people following herpes zoster (shingles), have been published in The Lancet, showing its efficacy. No central nervous system side effects or any serious adverse events have been observed in the study.Financial terms were not disclosed.