Date: 2013-10-16
Type of information: Development agreement
Compound: Anticalin®-based protein therapeutics including PRS-110
Company: Pieris (Germany) Zydus Cadila (India)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: development
commercialisation
Action mechanism: Anticalins® are recombinantly engineered versions of human lipocalins, lowmolecular weight polypeptides that naturally bind, store and transport a wide spectrum of molecules. To develop Anticalins, Pieris makes discrete changes to those lipocalin amino acid positions responsible for endogenous ligand binding, thereby redirecting specificity away from the natural ligand and to virtually any target of interest. By utilizing an endogenous binding protein as a template, Pieris “hijacks”the natural function of the lipocalin to enable diverse therapeutic applications.
Disease:
Details: * On October 16, 2013, Zydus Cadila, an Indian global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of healthcare products, and Pieris AG, a next generation therapeutic protein R&D company, have entered into an alliance for development and commercialization of multiple novel Anticalin®-based protein therapeutics. The collaboration combines Pieris’ drug discovery and early development capabilities with Zydus’ expertise in biologics development, regulatory affairs and biologics manufacturing. Under the terms of the agreement, Zydus will take the lead in advancing Anticalin drug candidates through formal preclinical development and into clinical development, undertaking drug development in accordance with ICH guidelines. Zydus has been granted exclusive marketing rights in India and several other emerging markets, while Pieris retains exclusive marketing rights in key developed markets.
The most advanced program in the collaboration is PRS-110, an Anticalin specific for c-Met, a target becoming increasingly validated across a broad spectrum of tumors. PRS-110, which is a pure antagonist due to its monovalent target engagement, has demonstrated the ability to inhibit both ligand-dependent and -independent c-Met activity in a variety of animal models. Through this unique collaborative model, the companies seek to develop candidates to proof-of-concept and will explore outlicensing opportunities in Pieris’ territories at the appropriate time. The companies will share licensing revenues on mutually agreed-upon terms.
Financial terms:
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