Forest will develop and commercialize a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of its own extended-release memantine with donepezil (Pfizer’s Aricept) in the U.S. under a licensing deal with Adamas, which started the project and will retain EU rights to the memantine/donepezil combo.

Commercialization of the fixed-dose combo buys lifecycle management for Forest and should support future drug development for partner Adamas, the originator of the technology behind the combination.

President Obama’s proposed $56 billion Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative would add nearly $1 billion to the NIH budget but it is funded by offsets that are likely nonstarters in Congress.