Medivir AB acquires two clinical programs from Tetralogic Pharma, namely remetinostat and birinapant.

Medivir AB announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire two clinical stage oncology programs from Tetralogic Pharmaceuticals Corporation which will advance and expand its clinical pipeline. The acquisition includes remetinostat, a skin-directed HDAC inhibitor, and birinapant, a bivalent SMAC mimetic, and all intellectual property and data associated with Tetralogic�s HDAC inhibitor and SMAC mimetic projects. Remetinostat is a topical, skin-directed inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACs) and has a strong link to Medivir�s existing expertise in protease inhibition. The compound was designed to effectively inhibit HDACs within cutaneous lesions, but to be rapidly broken down in the bloodstream, preventing the side effects associated with systemically administered HDAC inhibitors. Remetinostat is currently in a late phase II program aimed to treat early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Birinapant is a bivalent, second mitochondrial activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetic that binds cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) and induces their degradation. cIAPs are part of the ubiquitin proteasome system, and ties in well to Medivir�s existing interests in modulators of protein ubiquitination. Medivir currently plans to start two different clinical studies with birinapant.