Ligand could get $100M in Chinese licensing deal

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Ligand could get $100M in Chinese licensing deal

Jan 6, 2011 11:06 AM ET

By The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday it licensed two liver

disease drugs to drugmaker Chiva Pharmaceuticals Inc. as part of a deal that

could be worth more than $100 million.

The deal gives Chiva the rights to develop and market the drugs in China. The

partnership includes Pradefovir, a potential treatment for hepatitis B, and

MB01733, which is being tested as a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, the

most common type of liver cancer. Ligand said Chiva is also getting a

non-exclusive license for newer drugs that could be used to treat hepatitis B

and C and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Chiva is headquartered in Los Altos Hills, Calif., but Ligand said it is an

affiliate of Hainan Kaihua Pharmaceutical Co., a drugmaker that focuses on the

Chinese market.