Pre-phase III meeting between the companies and FDA triggered the milestone fee.

Neurocrine Biosciences received a $20 million milestone payment from Abbott following a pre-Phase III meeting with FDA on the companies’  treatment of endometriosis-related pain called elagolix. That brings the total milestone payments paid by Abbott in the third quarter of this year up to $30 million.

Last month Neurocrine received a $10 million milestone fee after Abbott started a Phase II trial to evaluate elagolix in the treatment of uterine fibroids. The firms’ partnership, valued at $575 million, covers elagolix for endometriosis and all next-generation gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists for a variety of women’s and men’s health conditions.

Under the exclusive, worldwide collaboration, inked in June 2010, Abbott is responsible for all development, marketing, and commercialization costs and will be entitled to an undisclosed percentage of worldwide sales of GnRH compounds. Abbott made an up-front payment of $75 million.

Neurocrine could receive additional milestone payments of about $500 million from Abbott toward achievement of certain development, regulatory, and commercial milestones; funding for certain internal collaboration expenses; plus royalty payments on any future product sales.

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