FDAnews
www.fdanews.com/articles/162863-eisai-and-biogen-idec-to-develop-and-market-alzheimers-treatments
Red and Grey Pills

Eisai and Biogen Idec to Develop and Market Alzheimer’s Treatments

March 5, 2014

Japan’s Eisai and Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen Idec are set to collaborate on developing and marketing Eisai’s E2609 and BAN2401, both potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The collaboration will hopefully not only advance the pipeline for Alzheimer’s treatments, but also alleviate the financial burden of nursing and patient care, the drugmakers said Wednesday.

Under the terms of the deal, Biogen will make an upfront payment to Eisai, along with an unspecified amount of development, commercial milestone and approval payments. The deal may also allow for a one-time payment from Biogen to Eisai relating to joint activities in Japan.

Eisai will take the operational and regulatory lead in the development of both drugs and will take sole responsibility for global marketing authorization applications, the drugmakers say. After approval in the U.S., however, the pharma partners will jointly promote both products. They will also share overall costs and profits stemming from sales of the two compounds.

E2609 is an investigational oral β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme inhibitor that Eisai believes inhibits the key enzyme that produces the plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s. The drug will soon enter Phase II clinical testing.

Ban2401, a monoclonal antibody, is currently in Phase II. — Lena Freund

Subscribe to Drug Industry Daily for complete coverage of the pharmaceutical industry. Click here for more information.