Neurimmune sells licence for antibodies to AstraZeneca

(CONNECT) Neurimmune is expanding its collaboration with the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. To this end, the biopharmaceutical company, which was spun off from the University of Zurich in 2006 and is based in the Biotechnopark Schlieren-Zurich, has entered into a partnership with Boston-based Alexion - AstraZeneca Rare Disease entered into an exclusive global collaboration and licence agreement.

For the development and marketing rights transferred to Alexion, Neurimmune will receive an upfront payment of an undisclosed amount as well as additional milestone payments of up to 780 million dollars and licence fees for any approved drugs, according to a statement. Neurimmune will continue to be responsible for preclinical development, initial manufacturing activities and conducting the first human clinical trial.

Like Neurimmune, the subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which specialises in rare diseases, is currently in clinical phase III with a fibril remover. Alexion calls this program CARES. It is intended to help improve the survival rate and heart health of patients with advanced AL kappa amyloidosis. If left untreated, the accumulation of these toxic amyloid deposits, particularly in the heart and kidneys, can lead to progressive organ damage and dysfunction and death, usually due to heart failure.

Neurimmune has developed a novel antibody for the same toxic amyloid deposits. It aims to remove lambda light chain fibrils and deposits from affected tissues and organs in light chain amyloidosis (AL). "NI009 shows broad efficacy against amyloids of different lambda light chain subtypes in patients despite the high clonal heterogeneity of the disease," Roger M. Nitsch, President and CEO of Neurimmune, is quoted as saying.

Now Alexion is looking to add the capabilities of Neurimmune's antibody to the breadth of its proprietary anti-fibril program to "potentially benefit more people with AL amyloidosis," said Gianluca Pirozzi, Alexion's vice president and head of development, regulatory and safety. ce/mm