Date: 2013-04-29
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)
Company: Heptares Therapeutics (UK) Takeda Pharmaceutical (Japan)
Therapeutic area: CNS diseases
Type agreement: R&D
Action mechanism:
Disease: central nervous system disorders
Details: * On April 11, 2011, Heptares Therapeutics and Takeda Pharmaceutical have announced the formation of a two-year drug discovery collaboration focused on a single G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays an important role in the pathology of central nervous system disorders. This GPCR has proved intractable using historical drug discovery efforts, due to its instability when removed from cell membranes and the resulting lack of insight into its structure. A new medicine targeting this GPCR would be first-in-class. During the collaboration, Heptares will leverage its proprietary StaR® (stabilised receptor) technology to engineer the first-ever thermally stabilised forms of the GPCR as the basis for the drug discovery programme. Heptares will also apply advanced structural biology and rational drug design approaches - including Biophysical Mapping®, X-ray crystallography and fragment screening - to characterise the GPCR's structure and to generate early leads. Takeda will participate in lead generation and then assume responsibility for preclinical development and clinical development of new drugs candidates.
Financial terms: Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda receives worldwide commercial rights to new drugs emerging from the collaboration. Upon signing, Heptares received an upfront payment of GBP1.7 million (€1.9 million) and an investment in an equity stake of approximately GBP2.8 million (€3.1 million) purchased by Takeda Ventures Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda. Heptares is also eligible to receive future milestone payments of up to GBP60.5 million (€68.3 million)plus royalties on product sales. Further terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
Latest news: * On April 29, 2013, Heptares Therapeutics, has announced it has achieved all milestones in its collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. By achieving these milestones, Heptares will receive a significant payment from Takeda, under the terms of the agreement signed by the two companies in 2011. Over the course of the collaboration Heptares has leveraged its structure-based drug design (SBDD) approach to GPCRs and proprietary technologies to generate the first-ever stabilised form of the target in a clinically relevant conformation enabling a series of novel lead candidates against the target to be designed.
Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda receives worldwide commercial rights to new drugs emerging from the collaboration. Upon signing, Heptares received an upfront payment of £1.7 million and an investment in an equity stake of approximately £2.8 million purchased by Takeda Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda. Heptares has also now received £1 million in research-stage milestones and is eligible to receive $96 million in additional later-stage milestones plus royalties on product sales. Further terms of the agreement are not disclosed.
