Lilly signs diabetes deal with Alizé Pharma
pharmafile | February 2, 2010 | News story | Research and Development | Alize, diabetes, lilly, type II
Lilly has signed a new research and licensing deal with Lyon-based Alizé Pharma to develop Alizé’s AZP-01 programme, focused on developing unacylated ghrelin (UAG) agonists for the treatment of type II diabetes.
Lilly will pay an undisclosed upfront fee and both companies will collaborate on Alizé’s AZP-01 project, which has not yet begun clinical development.
In return, Lilly gains an exclusive option to license any promising candidates which emerge from development. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
UAG agonists are a new potential therapeutic class for type II diabetes treatment. Available pre-clinical and preliminary clinical data suggest that UAG and its analogues could treat diabetes through a novel mechanism of action that includes glucose and lipid-lowering effects, a trophic effect on beta cells, as well as insulin-sensitising actions.
This means UAG and its analogues might not only control the disease but also help improve other cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, dyslipidemia and impaired vascular remodeling.
“We are very pleased with this first agreement with Lilly, a recognised leader in the field of diabetes,” said Alizé Pharma president and founder, Thierry Abribat. “This collaboration will put our UAG programme on the best possible track. It gives us access to Lilly’s proven expertise in developing first-in class molecules, while leveraging our resources and remaining totally in line with our business plan.”
“We have been impressed with the work performed thus far by Alizé Pharma and its academic partners on this AZP-01 programme,” said Philip Larsen, chief scientific officer for diabetes research at Lilly. “As part of our commitment to remain leaders in diabetes care, we look forward to launching this research collaboration with Alizé on this promising new target, and working together to validate the therapeutic potential of drugs in this class.”
The Alizé Pharma Group is composed of privately-held biopharmaceutical companies specialising in new therapies for the treatment of metabolic diseases and cancer. The group acquires R&D programmes from public or private laboratories, looking for innovative drugs which can meet unmet medical need. It then handles preclinical and clinical development and establishes partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry via co-development or out-licensing agreements.
Alongside Alizé Pharma, is a twin company, Alizé Pharma II. It is focused on the development of Asparec(R) (AZP-02), a new, long-acting recombinant L-asparaginase with reduced immunogenicity for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and currently at the pre-clinical stage. Founded in April 2007, the Alizé Pharma group is based in Ecully, near Lyon, France. Its management is made up of a team of drug development experts and a board of directors offering wide international experience. Since its inception, the group has raised 4.8 million euros with private and institutional investors.
Participating investors in the financing rounds completed so far include Octalfa, a French holding company owned by Gilles Alberici, former founder and president of OPi SA; CEMA, a Canadian holding company owned by André de Villers, former founder, president & chief executive of Theratechnologies and Celmed Biosciences and SHAM, a Lyon-based insurance company specialised in medical malpractice liability insurance.
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