C4X Discovery signs licensing deal worth up to $402m with AstraZeneca
pharmafile | November 28, 2022 | News story | Sales and Marketing |
Pioneering drug discovery company, C4X Discovery Holdings (C4XD) has signed a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca, worth up to $402m. The exclusive worldwide agreement covers the development and commercialisation of its NRF2 Activator programme.
AstraZeneca plans to utilise this platform to create and commercialise an oral treatment for inflammatory and respiratory diseases, focusing on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The terms of the agreement provide C4XD with pre-clinical milestone payments up to the value of $16m ahead of the first clinical trial, including $2m upfront. They are also set to gain another $385.8m in clinical development and commercial milestone payments throughout the process.
Sir Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, commented: “At AstraZeneca, we are committed to transforming care in respiratory and immune-mediated disease and move beyond symptom control. Our alliance with C4XD adds an important new asset to our portfolio to push the boundaries of science by targeting underlying disease drivers to potentially modify the course of this diseases.”
Dr Clive Dix, CEO of C4XD, then added: “Drug Discovery is inherently scientifically complex, and it is through out unique expertise and proprietary cutting-edge technologies that C4XD is yet again proving itself as an exemplar in this field. NRF2 is thought to be a critical but challenging anti-inflammatory target, and I am proud of the work by our team to achieve a broad stable of intellectual property for this programme, leading to our third significant deal with a truly world-renowned industry leader. The COPD market alone is worth close to $20bn and rising. But, more importantly, I know that in AstraZeneca’s hands, with their scientific, technical, and commercial expertise, our NRF2 Activator programme has the potential to deliver life changing treatments for the millions of patients suffering with COPD across the world.”
Betsy Goodfellow
