Kythera acquires rights to potential novel hair loss treatment

Kythera Biopharmaceuticals has announced separate license agreements with Actelion Pharmaceuticals and the University of Pennsylvania for a potential novel treatment of hair loss.

Kythera Holdings, a subsidiary of Kythera Pharmaceuticals, acquired the licensing of the worldwide rights to setipiprant, a clinical-stage selective oral antagonist to the prostaglandin D²(PGD²) receptor, in the agreement with Actelion, according to a news release. The anagen phase of the hair cycle was found to be extended through PGD² inhibitors, which promoted hair growth, the release stated.

Actelion will be eligible to receive up to $27 million in potential development and regulatory milestones, as well as royalties on future sales, according to the release.

Kythera Holdings also acquired exclusive worldwide rights to certain patent rights owned by the University of Pennsylvania covering the use of PGD²receptor antagonists for treating hair loss, which is often presented as male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia, the release stated. Kythera sponsored research at the University of Pennsylvania of George Cotsarelis, MD, who discovered the relationship between PGD² and hair loss, with results published in 2011, according to the release.

Human proof of concept study is planned to establish setipiprant’s efficacy in treating male patients with androgenic alopecia, according to Kythera.

Setipiprant has previously been studied as a potential allergic inflammation treatment, including a phase 3 study in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and a phase 2 study in patients with asthma, the release stated. No serious adverse events were reported and treatment was well tolerated in the studies. Actelion suspended the development of setipiprant due to lack of efficacy seen in the studies, according to the release.

Reference: www.kytherabiopharma.com