Biogen Idec, Cardiokine terminate lixivaptan agreement

WESTON, Mass. Swiss drug maker Biogen Idec and U.S. drug maker Cardiokine have terminated an agreement to develop a treatment for abnormally low sodium levels in the blood, the two companies said Wednesday.

The agreement will give Cardiokine all rights to lixivaptan, a treatment for the condition, known as hyponatremia. The collaboration began in 2007, and the drug is in late-stage clinical studies.

“I am pleased that we have regained exclusive global rights to lixivaptan, a potentially important advance in the treatment of hyponatremia,” Cardiokine president and CEO Amber Salzman said. “We are nearing the completion of the phase-3 program and look forward to studying results and confirming our registration plans in the near future.”