| Type | Société Anonyme |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmaceuticals |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Sophia Antipolis, France |
| Key people | Michele Garufi (Chairman of the board) |
| Products | Naproxcinod |
| Revenue | €3,36 million (2009) |
| Net income | €73,887 million (2008) |
| Total equity | €102,069 million (2009) |
| Employees | 133 (2009) |
| Subsidiaries | NicOx Research Institute Srl, NicOx Inc. |
| Website | www.nicox.com |
NicOx S.A. is a French pharmaceutical company. Its headquarters are at Sophia Antipolis (U.S. headquarters in Warren, New Jersey, opened in October 2007). Louis Ignarro, co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating the signalling properties of nitric oxide, is a member of the scientific committee of the company.
The company focuses on the uses of the medical properties of nitric oxide. It has several molecules in the pipeline, and its lead compound was an anti-inflammatory drug, naproxcinod, of the CINOD (COX-inhibiting nitric oxide donator) class for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This class of drugs was first described by John Wallace[1] and colleagues.[2] The company has ongoing development partnerships with Bausch & Lomb and Merck.[3]
The market capitalisation of the company was $ 1 billion as of January 2008. It is listed on Euronext, the French stock exchange and is part of the CAC Mid 100 stock market index. It has been included in the SBF 120 index since 18 June 2007. Oppenheimer Funds is its first shareholder with 25 % of its capital.
Naproxcinod was the company's lead compound until 2011. The company finished three phase III clinical trials. The first of these studies to be published showed that naproxcinod had similar efficacy to naproxen (measured in WOMAC Pain, function and patient global assessment) in controlling signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.[4] It has been well documented that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase blood pressure, and naproxen is one of the safest in this regard.[5] Meanwhile naproxcinod had similar effects on blood pressure to placebo (which is considered neutral), while the comparator naproxen (sold under the brand Aleve in the United States) showed a statistically significant increase in blood pressure. This difference was especially marked for those patients taking RAS blockers (ACE inhibitors, ARBs and beta blockers). This means that naproxcinod could have become an option for patients with osteoarthritis who needed to take NSAIDs.
In September 2009, NicOx filed for regulatory approval of naproxcinod with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency. On 12 May 2010, an FDA advisory committee voted against approval, questioning the safety of the drug. NicOx has appealed this decision.[3] Subsequently, in April 2011, the company withdrew its European application after it became clear that an EU expert panel was going to fail to render a positive review of NicOx's clinical data.[3]
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