By Mark Chael —

As we reported previously, Eli Lilly & Co. had been in the process of acquiring Hypnion, Inc. and its pipeline of insomnia drug candidates.  On Tuesday, Lilly announced that it had completed the acquisition, which has been valued at around $315 million.  With this acquisition, Lilly enhances its
drug pipeline with HY10275, an insomnia drug candidate in Phase II trials, as well as several other early-stage candidates.

Unlike other insomnia drugs that target the GABA receptor, HY10275 acts on the histamine H1 and the serotonin 5HT2a receptors.  Drugs that affect the GABA receptor have a potential for abuse and are therefore classified as controlled substances, which therefore limits, in some respects, a physician’s ability to prescribe such drugs.  It is unclear at present whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will classify HY10275, and other drugs that target the H1 and 5HT2a receptors, as controlled substances.

Additional information regarding this story, including links to related patents and patent applications, prior press releases, and scientific information about the relevant receptors, can be found here.