Acorda Therapeutics Expands Licensing Rights to Fampridine-SR.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers BIOWIRE2K HAWTHORNE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2003 Acorda Therapeutics announced today that it has entered into an expanded license agreement under which Elan Corporation has granted to Acorda exclusive, worldwide rights to Fampridine-SR for all indications. The amended and restated agreement replaces two prior licenses to Fampridine-SR - one for multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of a joint venture between Acorda and Elan, and one for spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. (SCI (Scalable Coherent Interface) An IEEE standard for a high-speed bus that uses wire or fiber-optic cable. It can transfer data up to 1GBytes/sec. (hardware) SCI - 1. Scalable Coherent Interface. 2. UART. ). As part of the agreement, the joint venture will become inactive. Acorda remains responsible for the clinical development and registration of Fampridine-SR and will also be responsible for its commercialization. Elan will continue to be responsible for the formulation development and manufacturing. If Acorda is successful in bringing Fampridine-SR to market, it will make milestone payments to Elan and pay royalties on net sales Net Sales The amount a seller receives from the buyer after costs associated with the sale are deducted. Notes: This amount is calculated by subtracting the following items from gross sales: merchandise returned for credit, allowances for damaged or missing goods, freight . In addition, Elan will receive payments for supply based on net sales for the provision of commercial product. In a related agreement, Acorda entered into an agreement with Rush University Medical Center for an exclusive, worldwide license to their know-how relating to fampridine for the treatment of MS, and the assignment of an Orphan Drug orphan drug, drug developed under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act (1983) to treat a disease that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States. The orphan drug law offers tax breaks and a seven-year monopoly on drug sales to induce companies to undertake the Designation to Acorda for fampridine for the relief of symptoms of MS. About Fampridine-SR Fampridine-SR ("4-aminopyridine", "4-AP") is an investigational treatment being developed for chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) and for MS. It is in Phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate its efficacy in improving spasticity spasticity /spas·tic·i·ty/ (spas-tis´i-te) the state of being spastic; see spastic (2). spas·tic·i·ty n. 1. A spastic state or condition. 2. Spastic paralysis. in people with chronic SCI, and Phase 2 trials to evaluate its efficacy in improving walking ability and muscle strength in MS. Laboratory studies have shown that fampridine, the active molecule of Fampridine-SR, improves impulse conduction in nerve fibers in which the insulating layer of the spinal cord, called myelin myelin /my·elin/ (mi´e-lin) the lipid-rich substance of the cell membrane of Schwann cells that coils to form the myelin sheath surrounding the axon of myelinated nerve fibers. , has been damaged. This damage may be caused by physical trauma in the case of SCI, or by the body's own immune system in the case of MS. About Acorda Acorda Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company, is developing therapies for SCI, MS, and related central nervous system disorders Nervous system disorders A satisfactory classification of diseases of the nervous system should include not only the type of reaction (congenital malformation, infection, trauma, neoplasm, vascular diseases, and degenerative, metabolic, toxic, or deficiency . In 2002, Acorda was the recipient of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association's L. W. Freeman Award for scientific research. |
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