Verona signs up QuintilesIMS for respiratory drug development

London, UK-based clinical biopharma Verona Pharma has entered into a global strategic services agreement with biopharmaceutical development and commercial outsourcing services giant QuintilesIMS.

The services agreement establishes an operational platform to facilitate Verona Pharma’s global clinical trial-related activities for the development of its product candidate RPL554, an inhaled, dual PDE3/PDE4 inhibitor that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound.

The therapy is being developed for the maintenance treatment of COPD patients and as an add-on therapy to commonly used therapies for the treatment of hospitalised patients with acute exacerbations of COPD, as well as for patients with cystic fibrosis.

Under the deal, Quintiles will serve as sole provider of core clinical trial services for the firm’s RPL554 clinical development programmes, while Verona will have full access to Quintiles’ therapeutic and operational experts throughout the duration of each trial, as well as QuintilesIMS’ global commercial insights when developing its related market access strategy in the US.

Verona’s chief executive Dr Jan-Anders Karlsson, said he believes the firm’s agreement with QuintilesIMS "will enhance the agility, productivity and commercial viability" of its development activities for RPL554 "as we progress multiple larger and later stage clinical trials."