Ligand Licenses Drug To Chiva

Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Chiva Pharmaceuticals, a Chinese biopharmaceutical firm, have entered a global licensing agreement for Fablyn, a selective estrogen receptor modulator approved in the European Union in 2009 for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Under the terms of the agreement, Ligand will receive $4 million in licensing payments over the next eight months as well as unspecified milestone and royalty payments for worldwide sales of Fablyn. Discovered through a research collaboration between Ligand and Pfizer, Fablyn was developed by Pfizer after approval in the EU. With the acquisition of Wyeth, Pfizer acquired a similar program for osteoporosis, after which Ligand obtained full ownership of Fablyn.