Merck To Get Chronic Cough P2X3 Inhibitor Candidate With Afferent Buy

10 Jun 2016

• By Sten Stovall

A candidate for chronic cough is one of the assets Merck & Co. will get by buying P2X3 inhibitor specialist Afferent Pharmaceuticals Inc, a US-based biotech focusing on chronic pain therapies caused when certain nerves become hypersensitive.

Merck & Co.says it will pay $500m up front for Afferent Pharmaceuticals Inc., and up to $750m more if the target company meets goals for approval and eventual sales of medicines in development. The duo jointly announced their upcoming marriage on June 10.

Analysts note that advances in pain neurobiology point to the promise of more specific drugs with fewer side effects, yet the field continues to show few successes

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