Intezyne Technologies, a privately held oncology drug development company, has acquired Niiki Pharma. Intezyne has two compounds in early and mid-stage clinical development. Its lead candidate is a first-in-class GRP78 suppressor, which has demonstrated significant potential in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

“Niiki Pharma’s GRP78 suppressor is the leading candidate in the field against this novel target and has the potential to enhance the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors and other tumor types,” said Habib Skaff, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Intezyne. “With the addition of this Phase II-ready compound to the candidates we have moving through preclinical testing and our breakthrough nano-technology platform, Intezyne has the potential to develop treatments for a broad array of solid tumors. Our first goal is to launch the Phase II study for IT-139 in patients with non-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, as there are no anti-tumor therapies currently approved for this specific type of cancer.”

Niiki Pharma’s co-founder, Dr. Hooshmand Sheshbaradaran has joined Intezyne’s executive team as chief development officer and will serve as a member of Intezyne’s board of directors. Dr. Sheshbaradaran has held senior-level positions at pharmaceutical companies, including Roche and Pharmacia (acquired by Pfizer). John S. McBride, a Niiki Pharma board member, will also join the Intezyne board. Mr. McBride has global senior management experience from several oncology-focused pharmaceutical companies.