First candidate from Nurix-Gilead Sciences collaboration exclusively licensed

pharmafile | March 21, 2023 | News story | Research and Development  

US-based Gilead Sciences and Nurix have announced that Gilead has exercised its option to exclusively license Nurix’s investigational targeted protein degrader NX-0479, designated GS-6791. This is the first development candidate resulting from the Nurix-Gilead collaboration in 2019.

 

GS-6791 is a potent, selective, oral IRAK4 degrader that targets both the scaffold and kinase functions of the IRAK4 protein kinase to block inflammatory responses downstream of toll-like receptors (TLR) and the pro-inflammatory IL1 cytokine family of receptors (IL1Rs). Degradation of IRAK4 by GS-6791 is understood to have more sustained and deeper inhibition of TLR/IL1Rs signalling compared to kinase inhibition, due to its potential impact on additional signalling nodes. IRAK4 degradation is indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory diseases.

 

Under the exclusive license, Nurix will receive $20m, with potential payments adding up to $425m from clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments and up to low double-digit tiered royalties on product net sales.

 

Flavius Martin, MD, executive VP of Research at Gilead stated, “The Nurix IRAK4 degrader programme represents a quality modality targeting toll-like receptor and IL1 receptor-driven inflammation. We are pleased to advance our collaboration with Nurix and further expand our autoimmune pipeline with the goal of addressing the needs of people living with inflammatory diseases.”

 

“Gilead’s exercise of the first license option under our agreement is an important milestone and evidence of the significant progress that we have made in our strategic collaboration. Our highly productive DELigase platform has enabled us to advance multiple degrader programmes in our collaboration with Gilead and across our wholly owned pipeline. This progress demonstrates the value of our research enterprise and its capacity to create medicines to address an array of therapeutic areas in addition to oncology,” said Gwenn M Hansen, PhD, CSO at Nurix.

 

James Spargo


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