Boehringer collaboration targets Alzheimer’s
pharmafile | June 18, 2009 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Boehringer, CNS
Boehringer Ingelheim and Pennsylvania-based Vitae Pharmaceuticals have signed a global agreement to develop novel treatments for Alzheimer's.
The disease currently has no cure, but the companies believe beta-secretase (BACE) inhibitors can slow or even stop the disease.
BACE is an enzyme involved in the formation of amyloid-beta plaques which gather in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Studies on mice have suggested that deleting the BACE1 gene stops the formation of amyloid-beta and prevents memory deficits.
Vitae's programme looking at this approach has been going for 16 months.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Vitae have form together: two years ago they began working to develop 11beta-HSD1 inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
The new deal will see the identification of candidates for clinical development being handled jointly, with Boehringer Ingelheim leading on the development and commercialisation of any resulting products for Alzheimer's.
"Ultimately, we all aim to create new treatments for patients suffering from this serious debilitating disease," said Dr Manfred Haehl, corporate senior vice president R&D and medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim.
"It is part of our core development strategy to establish long-term alliances with innovative companies that broaden the scope of our own exciting pipeline successes," he added.
Boehringer Ingelheim is paying $42 million to Vitae up front, a sum which comprises cash, equity investment in Vitae and research funding.
The US company will also get payments and royalties from Boehringer Ingelheim on all potential future product sales.
It could also receive $200 million in milestone payments if various clinical and regulatory goals are met, or for additional compounds and other approved indications.
Vitae chief executive Jeffrey Hatfield says that working with partners rather than "relying on the capital markets" is the company's preferred method of raising capital.
Hatfield added that the collaboration also "adds substantial neuroscience expertise and specialised resources to its BACE programme".
Under the terms of the deal, Vitae also will have the right to develop products independently for other indications.
A devastating neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in adults, affecting over 30 million people worldwide.
Global sales of Alzheimer's drugs were approximately $5 billion in 2008 and are expected to exceed $14 billion by 2015.
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