Ligand Signs Licensing Agreement with Chiva

Ligand will receive $4 million in licensing payments over the next eight months and is also eligible to receive milestones and royalties on worldwide sales of Fablyn.

California-based biotech Ligand Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that it has entered into a global licensing agreement with Chiva Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in China, for Fablyn (lasofoxifene), a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women at increased risk of fracture.

Ligand will receive $4 million in licensing payments over the next eight months and is also eligible to receive milestones and royalties on worldwide sales of Fablyn.

Fablyn was discovered through a research collaboration between Ligand and Pfizer that began in 1991. The drug was fully developed by Pfizer through regulatory approval in the EU. After Pfizer acquired a similar SERM program, Conbriza (bazedox