AC Immune and Eli Lilly Sign New Agreement Worth CHF 10 M
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Eli Lilly has handed Vaud-based AC Immune (Switzerland) 10 million Swiss francs ($12.5 million) to expand their Alzheimer’s disease collaboration as a candidate moves closer to the clinic.
The U.S. pharma first tapped up AC Immune in a 2018 deal that included an $81 million upfront fee. That pact, which came with up to 1.7 billion francs ($2.1 billion) in milestone payments attached, was centered on a preclinical small-molecule designed to inhibit tau aggregation in Alzheimer’s patients.
Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “The progress in this collaboration highlights the important breakthroughs we have made with Morphomer small molecules for intracellular targeting of Tau. We look forward to working with the team at Lilly to drive forward the development of these potentially disruptive small molecule therapeutics for early-stage treatment and long-term prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Increasingly, the scientific evidence suggests that targeting intracellular Tau can slow or even completely halt the pathology. This collaboration exemplifies our work towards precision prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. We expect to initiate Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies imminently.”
Morphomer Tau candidates were selected for their ability to enter the brain when dosed orally, and for their specific binding to the targeted pathological conformation of the Tau protein. AC Immune has generated strong preclinical data suggesting that Tau Morphomers should be clinically relevant for inhibiting aggregation and seeding across pathological and disease stages.
Under this amendment, AC Immune will receive a CHF10 million upfront payment and a subsequent milestone payment with Phase 1 dosing, in addition to milestones announced in a prior amendment. AC Immune is eligible for further development, regulatory and commercial milestones of over CHF1.7 billion, plus tiered percentage royalty payments in the low double digits, as previously disclosed.
➡️ Source: Press Release | 📸 ©Canva Library