Biogen Idec Licenses Heart Failure Drug

Biogen Idec will pay up to $220 million for access to Cardiokine's lixivaptan, a treatment for hyponatremia, an imbalance of water and sodium that occurs in heart failure patients. The small-molecule drug antagonizes the action of vasopressin on receptors in the kidney's collecting duct, forcing water to be excreted from the kidney to help restore the balance of water and sodium in the body. The companies say the drug could also be useful in other diseases linked to electrolyte imbalance, such as liver cirrhosis. Biogen Idec gains the global commercial rights for lixivaptan, which is expected to enter Phase III trials this year, though Cardiokine retains an option to copromote the drug in the U.S.