Date: 2015-02-25
Type of information: Development agreement
Compound: inhibitors of retinoic acid–related orphan nuclear receptor gamma (ROR gamma)
Company: AstraZeneca (UK) Orca Pharmaceuticals (UK)
Therapeutic area: Autoimmune diseases
Type agreement: development
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On February 25, 2015, Orca Pharmaceuticals, a UK based biopharmaceuticalcompany, and AstraZeneca announced a three year collaboration to develop inhibitors of retinoic acid–related orphan nuclear receptor gamma (ROR γ). Inhibitors of this receptor are believed to have potential against a wide range of autoimmune diseases for which there is currently no safe, orally available and effective treatment. ROR γ plays a key role in the immune system. Specifically, it helps to convert a population of immune cells called CD4+ T cells into T-helper 17 (TH17) cells which, in turn, produce chemicals (cytokines) that drive the immune response. However, excessive activity of TH17 cells and other ROR γ + immune cells have been implicated in a wide range of autoimmune conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will gain access to ROR γ inhibitors developed by Orca Pharmaceuticals and will integrate these into its in?house programme. Working together, scientists from AstraZeneca and Orca Pharmaceuticals will identify lead compounds from this programme for progression and characterise the autoimmune condition to which the lead compounds are best suited.
Financial terms: Orca Pharmaceuticals will receive an upfront and milestone payments from AstraZeneca dependent on the success of their ROR γ inhibitors in the programme with a potential total value of $122.5 million. AstraZeneca has the option to acquire the Orca compounds at the end of the collaboration.
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