SiteOne Therapeutics Inc., a US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced on Wednesday that it has signed a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a United States-based biopharmaceutical company.

According to the terms of the contract, both firms will collaborate to advance potent and selective inhibitors of sodium ion channel 1.7 (NaV1.7) as non-opioid therapeutics to treat pain. Under the deal, SiteOne will be responsible for research and early preclinical development activities, while Vertex will be responsible for subsequent development, and commercialisation. SiteOne is to receive an upfront payment and is eligible for development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and royalties from Vertex Pharmaceuticals if the program succeeds.

John Mulcahy, Ph.D., SiteOne CEO, said, 'Pain is an extremely common medical condition that severely affects quality of life. The existing standard of care for pain treatment relies heavily on opioid analgesics, which are not always effective and carry a high risk of side-effects, dependence, and abuse. A core mission of SiteOne is to identify non-opioid pain medicines that will be able to safely and effectively treat many different types of pain and other neurological conditions without the risk of dependence or abuse. We are excited to begin this partnership with Vertex, which has a long-standing interest in non-opioid analgesic drug development. This agreement will support the advancement of SiteOne's portfolio of exquisitely-selective NaV1.7 inhibitors across multiple indications.'