Amgen and Novartis Team Up to Fight Alzheimer’s, Migraines

Amgen and Novartis have launched a neuroscience drug collaboration to develop and commercialize new inhibitors to fight Alzheimer’s disease and treat migraines.

Initially, the focus will be on Novartis’ Phase 1/2a oral beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme-1 inhibitor CNP520, with other BACE inhibitors to potentially follow.

The collaboration will hasten Amgen’s entry into Alzheimer’s treatments. While financial terms weren’t disclosed, the company says it will make upfront and milestone payments to Novartis and pay some R&D costs.

CNP520 is designed to prevent the production of amyloid — a protein believed to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s — giving it the potential to prevent, slow or delay symptoms of the disease. The oral drug will be evaluated in a prevention study with the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute planned for later this year or 2016, Novartis says.

The other part of the collaboration gives Novartis co-development and co-commercialization rights outside the U.S., Canada and Japan to Amgen’s investigational migraine treatments AMG 334 and AMG 301 — currently in Phase 3 and Phase 1, respectively. Novartis will pay Amgen royalties on sales and for R&D expenses.

The deal is the second in recent months to expand Novartis’ neuroscience footprint. In June, the Swiss drugmaker paid $200 million to acquire Spinifex Pharmaceuticals and its EMA401 oral treatment for chronic and neuropathic pain. — Kellen Owings