Sinovant Sciences and Renexxion have initiated a collaboration for the development of naronapride, an investigational gastrointestinal prokinetic, in China. Renexxion has granted Sinovant an exclusive license for the development and commercialization of naronapride in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in exchange for license fee payments, commercial milestones, and royalties.
 
Sinovant will initially develop naronapride in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), a condition that impacts approximately 13 million people in China and for which few efficacious treatments are currently available. Sinovant also plans to expand development into other gastrointestinal disorders.
 
“Gastrointestinal conditions represent a significant unmet medical need in China, and we believe that naronapride is a promising therapy with a clinically validated mechanism of action,” said Canwen Jiang, MD, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Sinovant Sciences.”
 
“We are very pleased to partner with Sinovant in China,” added Peter Milner, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Renexxion. “A major factor in our decision to form this partnership was Sinovant’s commitment to advance naronapride through pivotal studies in China under the guidance of world-class drug developers. We are committed to ensuring that patients have access to naronapride upon approval across as many geographies as possible.”