Genentech forms type I diabetes collaboration
pharmafile | June 11, 2009 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â Roche, diabetesÂ
The deal gives the Roche-owned biotech development and marketing rights to Bayhill’s molecule BHT-3021, which is currently in phase I/II clinical trials.
Antigen therapy BHT-3021 is designed to stimulate the patients’ own immune response, which Bayhill say is a truly novel way to treating type I diabetes.
Chief executive Mark Schwartz added: “We believe this collaboration with Genentech reflects the significant potential of our approach to antigen specific tolerance, and will allow us to accelerate and expand the development of BHT-3021, while continuing to develop additional products from our BHT-DNA platform.”
In type I diabetes insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are gradually destroyed through an ‘autoimmune response’, whereby the body sees them as foreign and tries to eliminate them.
BHT-3021 is designed to target the specific immune cells that are responsible for the reaction, inducing an antigen tolerance that can turn off the dangerous autoimmune response that attacks the pancreas.
The market for type I diabetes is not as big as ever-growing market for the type II form of the condition, which is where many companies have focussed their energies.
But this new type of therapy for type I diabetes that stimulates patients’ own immune response, could grow in importance, and the science has already been applied to other autoimmune conditions outside diabetes.
Bayhill specialises in this type of treatment, and has candidates for other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
Genentech has also been an innovator in immunology-based therapies with MabThera, which first reached blockbuster status in oncology and has more recently been indicated for rheumatoid arthritis and MS.
Under the new agreement, Genentech will pay $25 million upfront in cash and equity, with additional development, regulatory and sales milestone payments potentially exceeding $325m.
Bayhill is responsible for completing the on-going phase I/II trial, while Genentech will be responsible for all future research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation efforts.
Bayhill retains rights to opt-in on future development as well as an option to co-promote in North America.
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