NOVA ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO BRADYKININ ANTAGONISTS

NOVA ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO BRADYKININ ANTAGONISTS under an exclusive worldwide agreement with two University of Colorado scientists, John Stewart and Raymond Vavrek, the company announced in a May 7 press release. Nova said the compounds "block the activity of bradykinin, one of the body's natural causes of pain and inflammation." Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Nova explained that bradykinin "is a small protein molecule, or peptide, produced in blood plasma during certain pathologic situations. It is involved in many inflammatory conditions, including arthritis, colds, shock, and the pain and inflammation of wounds, burns and cuts." The firm said the substance "is believed to produce its effects by directly acting on specific receptors in sensory nerves to cause pain, and by stimulating the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes." Nova President Donald Stark said that "if the required animal and human testing for safety and efficacy prove successful, the first commercial use of bradykinin antagonists is expected to be in topical applications for pain control directly on wounds." The firm told "The Pink Sheet" that it hopes to file an NDA in two years. An IND has not yet been filed. The release stated that "according to Stewart and Vavrek, the major drugs currently used for inflammation, including steroids and such nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as aspirin and ibuprofen, inhibit the production of prostaglandins, which are molecules responsible for inflammatory processes." Nova said "since bradykinin stimulates the production of prostaglandins in the tissues, scientists expect bradykinin antagonists to block prostaglandin production as well as interfere directly with bradykinin's pain-producing properties."