Preclinical activities, which focused on the Hedgehog agonist pathway, will discontinue by May.

Wyeth has decided to axe development efforts on the Hedgehog agonist program with Curis, which is still in the preclinical phase. The partnership will conclude on May 6.


Under the original agreement, which was entered into in January 2004, Curis licensed its Hedgehog protein and small molecule pathway agonists to Wyeth. The firms focused preclinical R&D on stroke and cardiovascular disease treatments.


“We remain hopeful about the future prospects of the Hedgehog agonist as a potential therapeutic for various diseases and we will seek a new partner to continue advancing this program,” remarks Daniel R. Passeri, president and CEO of Curis. “Our internal data and third-party publications suggest that Hedgehog agonists may provide therapeutic benefit in several disease areas including neurological, cardiovascular, and bone disorders as well as for wound healing and hair growth.”

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