Lilly and Boehringer sign major diabetes collaboration
pharmafile | January 12, 2011 | News story | Research and Development | BI10773, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, LY2605541, LY2963016, TGF-beta monoclonal antibody, diabetes, lilly, linagliptin, type II diabetes
Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have signed a multi-million dollar collaboration that will see them develop and commercialise a mid- to late-stage pipeline of four diabetes compounds.
The companies will work together on Boehringer’s oral diabetes agents linagliptin and BI10773 and Lilly’s basal insulin analogues LY2605541 and LY2963016.
Their agreement also gives Boehringer an option to co-develop and co-commercialise Lilly’s anti-TGF-beta monoclonal antibody for kidney disease related to diabetes.
Professor Andreas Barner, chairman of the board of managing directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “This co-operation will give Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly the combined benefits of Lilly’s expertise in the diabetes market and two basal insulin analogues as well as Boehringer Ingelheim’s rich and innovative late-stage pipeline.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will make an initial one-time payment to Boehringer Ingelheim of 300 million euros.
Boehringer Ingelheim will also be eligible to receive up to a total of €625 million in success-based regulatory milestones for linagliptin and BI10773.
In turn Lilly will be eligible to receive up to a total of $650 million in milestones on its two basal insulin analogues.
The companies will equally share in any approved product’s commercialisation costs and gross margin, as well as being entitled to potential performance payments on sales of the molecules they contribute to the collaboration.
Linagliptin is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor discovered by Boehringer Ingelheim. The oral once-daily tablet is in development for the treatment of type II diabetes and currently under regulatory review in the US, Europe and Japan.
Boehringer Ingelheim’s BI10773 is a sodium-dependent glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor and will shortly move into phase III clinical trials.
It is a potential first-in-class diabetes compound that blocks tubular re-absorption of glucose in the kidney.
Lilly’s two basal insulin analogue candidates are expected to enter phase III clinical testing this year.
If Boehringer elects to add Lilly’s anti-TGF-beta monoclonal antibody for kidney disease related to diabetes to the collaboration Lilly will be eligible for up to $525 million milestone payments, with the companies sharing ongoing development costs equally.
The partners said their alliance would bring their “collective scientific expertise and business capabilities” to bear on patient needs arising from the growing global diabetes epidemic.
Diabetes now affects over 250 million people worldwide and will remain as a lucrative and growing market for the pharma industry.
Lilly currently develops a number of insulin products, including third line treatment Byetta. The company will hope to gain a solid pipeline from this collaboration as it experienced a number of late-stage drug failures in 2010, including its investigational type I diabetes drug Protégé in October.
Ben Adams
Related Content
Lilly opens fourth US Gateway Labs site
Eli Lilly has opened its newest Lilly Gateway Labs (LGL) site in San Diego, California, …
Lilly’s drug for early Alzheimer’s shows promising results
Eli Lilly (Lilly) has announced positive new data from the long-term extension of its phase …
Roche receives CE Mark for blood test to help rule out Alzheimer’s
Roche has been granted CE Mark approval for its Elecsys pTau181 test, the first in …
