Reckitt Benckiser Pharma, XenoPort Sign License Agreement - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Reckitt Benckiser Group plc's (RBGPF.PK, RB.L) unit, Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc., would be granted exclusive worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of XenoPort Inc.'s (XNPT) clinical-stage oral product candidate arbaclofen placarbil for all indications. Arbaclofen placarbil is a patent protected new chemical entity that Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals plans to advance into a Phase IIB proof-of-concept study for the treatment of alcohol use disorders, a condition affecting over 140 million people worldwide.

Arbaclofen placarbil would be tested for its ability to suppress alcohol cravings, lower alcohol intake and to possibly facilitate maintenance of abstinence in alcohol dependent people. In the earlier studies, arbaclofen placarbil has showed attributes that may enable convenient dosing, stable plasma exposure and good tolerability.

The deal is subject to review by the U.S. Government under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, as amended, and would be effective only after clearing review.