Wyeth has acquired Thiakis Limited, a privately held biotechnology company based in the United Kingdom. Thiakis' lead product candidate, TKS1225, is being studied for the treatment of medical obesity and other co-morbidities. TKS1225 and related compounds are synthetic versions of the natural gastrointestinal peptide oxyntomodulin.

Wyeth is paying approximately $30 million for Thiakis, with potential milestone payments of as much as $120 million. Thiakis was founded in 2004.

"This acquisition is evidence of our commitment to develop and bring to market innovative, high-value medicines that have the potential to address significant unmet needs in critical therapeutic areas such as metabolic disorders," said Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., president, Wyeth Research. "Thiakis' R&D program fits well with our goal of addressing the medical burden of obesity in a targeted manner using biologic-based therapies."

"As we take this important step with Wyeth, we are certain we have chosen the right company to follow through on our vision and commitment to develop and commercialize important new therapies that help address the growing worldwide medical epidemic of obesity," says John Burt, D.Phil. ACMA, chief executive officer and co-founder of Thiakis.

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