Chapel Hill drug maker Pozen announced this morning that the Food and Drug Administration has accepted its application to market an experimental treatment for arthritis.
The FDA move signals that the drug, called Vimovo, could win regulatory approval by March, if it doesn't run into snags. The drug would be Pozen's second approved product, with the migraine drug Treximet.
News of the FDA acceptance of Vimovo's application also triggers a $10 million milestone payment to Pozen from partner AstraZeneca, which has licensed the marketing rights to the drug.
Pozen's shares rose 26 cents to close at $6.73 today.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or