UCB And Synosia Plan Parkinson’s Drug Pact

UCB will pay Switzerland-based Synosia an undisclosed fee and up to $725 million in milestone payments for access to two compounds in Phase II studies as treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Belgium’s UCB is making a $20 million equity investment as part of an overall $30 million round of financing for Synosia. UCB gains access to SYN-115, an adenosine 2A antagonist that the biotech firm licensed from Roche in 2007, and SYN-118, a 4-hydroxyphenyl­pyruvate dioxygenase inhibitor acquired from Syngenta. Synosia will develop both compounds through Phase II, after which UCB will take over late-stage trials and commercialization.