ViroPharma has obtained a worldwide licence to certain licensed patents and patent applications relating to Intellect Neurosciences’ clinical-stage antioxidant, OX1, which ViroPharma plans to develop for Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a rare, hereditary neurodegenerative disease. There are as yet no US FDA approved drugs for FA, the median age of death from which is 35 years. ViroPharma plans to advance OX1 into Phase II following the completion of longer-term toxicology studies.