(RTTNews) - It is more than two years since Icagen Inc. (ICGN: News ) joined forces with pharma giant Pfizer Inc. (PFE: News ) to find potential pain alleviating drugs. Good news is that there appears to be some progress in the collaborative work between the two companies.

The deal, worth more than $1 billion, inked in August 2007 aims to discover, develop and commercialize drugs that modulate three specific sodium ion channels that mediate the nervous system's pain signals. Apart from the initial upfront license fee of $12.0 million and up to $15.0 million through an equity commitment, Pfizer is obligated to fork out $359 million in milestone payments per product for Icagen as per the terms of the agreement.

As recently as September 21, Pfizer extended its collaboration and licensing agreement with Icagen for one more year. Under the terms of the extended agreement, Pfizer will provide approximately $5.0 million in committed funding to Icagen over the next year of the collaboration through September 30, 2010.

At the Neuroscience 2009 Annual Meeting sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago, Illinois, Icagen and Pfizer on Monday, jointly presented data demonstrating progress in identifying subtype-selective modulators of the sodium channel Nav1.8, one of the three ion channel targets. Icagen presented pharmacokinetic and efficacy data for two novel modulators of Nav1.8.

According to Icagen, while sodium channel blockers have been used to treat pain for many years, currently available agents are not subtype-selective and therefore are limited by serious side effects. By blocking only one subtype of these channels it should be possible to identify compounds which demonstrate efficacy in pain with an improved side effect profile as compared with existing therapies.
Icagen's most advanced investigational drug candidate is Senicapoc, which is under mid-stage testing for asthma. Senicapoc is being evaluated under two phase II trials.

- the first trial focused on patients with allergic asthma, is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Senicapoc on pulmonary function following exposure to an allergen. The top line results of the first phase II trial, which were released last month, showed that Senicapoc met the primary end point of reducing the intensity of late asthmatic response caused by inhaled allergens.

- the second trial is focused on patients with exercise-induced asthma and is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of Senicapoc on pulmonary function following exercise. The results of the second phase II trial are expected this quarter. (Q4).

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