Transform in strategic deal with J&J

TransForm Pharmaceuticals, of Lexington, MA, has entered into a broad agreement with Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical research & development (J&JPRD, a Johnson & Johnson company, covering topiramate, a leading anti-epileptic drug marketed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, also a Johnson & Johnson company.

TransForm was granted a patent on a novel salt form of topiramate in May 2003, based on work it had done to improve the compound's solubility. Under the agreement, TransForm is assigning all rights to its topiramate patent to J&JPRD in exchange for upfront payments, milestones and royalties. In addition, J&JPRD is funding TransForm to do further crystallisation experiments on topiramate, and the Johnson & Johnson development corporation is making an equity investment in TransForm.

'We are excited to be able to make this announcement, for several reasons,' commented Norman Selby, TransForm's ceo. 'We are disclosing our first patent, an important accomplishment in our company's history. We are also announcing our first out-licensing deal, of which we hope to do more in the future. And, finally, we are delighted to be able to have J&J companies as our partner and investor.'

Duncan Higgons, TransForm's coo, added: 'This deal reflects J&JPRD's interest in our scientific capabilities to enhance pharmaceutical products. They are purchasing our existing patent on topiramate, and are also funding continued work on topiramate that could potentially enhance the compound's profile.'

TransForm's patent for a novel salt of topiramate was enabled by its unique capabilities in rapid, iterative solid-state chemistry experimentation. Its scientists used the company's proprietary platforms to identify and characterise unique topiramate salts in a short time period. The specific salt form of topiramate, for which the company was granted a patent, has 100-fold improvement in solubility over the current marketed form of the drug. TransForm developed the compound pre-clinically and conducted in-vivo animal experiments to validate its in-vitro performance.