Pfizer expands its neuroscience research as it announces its plans to acquire Rinat Neuroscience Corp., a privately held spin-off from Genentech, which develops treatments for diseases and disorders of the central nervous system.

"Rinat is a pioneer in developing protein-based therapeutics and we see tremendous potential in its research to develop new medicines, notably for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Combining Rinat's potential product portfolio with Pfizer's capabilities is a further step in our strategy to enhance Pfizer's internal research and development efforts with high-potential, externally sourced product candidates and technologies."

Some of the compounds in Rinat's pipeline are RN624, a nerve growth factor inhibitor for treatment of acute and chronic pain (currently entering Phase II clinical trials) and RN1219, a humanized monoclonal antibody for the potential treatment of Alzheimer's disease.