Northwestern University has sold a portion of its royalty rights for the painkiller Lyrica to Royalty Pharma in a deal worth $700 million according to the Chicago Tribune. Northwestern chemists were the first to synthesize the chemical compound pregabalin, which is the main ingredient of Lyrica.
The university will continue to collect some royalties on the drug, which is marketed by Pfizer to treat nerve pain associated with diabetes, shingles and fibromyalgia.
