InDex Pharmaceuticals AB aims to succeed where other firms have failed by administering its antisense therapy for ulcerative colitis directly to the site of inflammation. Merck Serono SA has bought into the approach; in late February the Swiss biotech licensed worldwide rights to the drug, Kappaproct, in a deal worth up to $35 million in upfront payments and milestones [See Deal].
Kappaproct–which the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) granted orphan status in July 2002—is an antisense inhibitor...