Aqilion and Merck Ink Deal Over TAK1 Inhibitors

Swedish company Aqilion has entered into a license and research collaboration deal with Merck to discover, develop and commercialize small molecule TAK1 inhibitors.

TAK1 is a key regulator of the innate immune system that can negatively affect cell development and activate an inflammatory response. Potential applications of the TAK1 inhibitors are autoimmune and inflammatory disease indications, including neurological diseases.

Under the terms of the deal, Aqilion will design and synthesize the TAK1 inhibitors while Merck  leads preclinical pharmacology and biology studies.

Merck will give Aqilion an upfront payment of more than $10 million, with milestone payments potentially reaching more than $1 billion.