Novartis shells out $200M-plus for Spinifex and its mid-stage pain drug

Novartis ($NVS) snapped up tiny Spinifex and its mid-stage pain drug in a $200 million-plus deal. The Swiss drugmaker isn't saying much about the deal--it won't discuss the potential milestone payments that are part of the deal--but does say it plans to hustle the drug into a Phase IIb study for either diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia, otherwise known as shingles pain. More from FierceBiotech