Boehringer Ingelheim, Zealand Pharma Sign Peptide Pact

Zealand Pharma, a Copenhagen-based company specializing in the discovery, design, and development of peptide medicines, and Boehringer Ingelheim have formed a new global exclusive research and development collaboration. The collaboration covers a novel therapeutic peptide project from Zealand's portfolio of preclinical programs. The aim is to develop novel medicines for improved treatment of patients with cardio-metabolic diseases.

Under the new agreement, Zealand and Boehringer Ingelheim will combine their research expertise for up to four and a half years focusing on the continued discovery, identification, and characterization of novel peptide medicine candidates within the selected therapeutic target area of cardio-metabolic disease. The companies will work together to advance the therapeutic peptides stemming from this research collaboration into preclinical development. Boehringer Ingelheim will be responsible for the conduct of preclinical and clinical development as well as for the commercialization and solely fund the research, development, and commercialization of products under the agreement.

Dependent upon the achievement of pre-defined development milestones, with the first at initiation of preclinical development, as well as regulatory and commercial milestones, Zealand is eligible to receive potential payments of up to a total of EUR 295 million ($396 million)for the first compound, developed, and marketed under the collaboration. Zealand will be eligible to receive additional milestones for other compounds advanced. Further, Zealand is entitled to research funding plus tiered royalties on global sales of products stemming from the collaboration. Zealand retains co-commercialization rights in Scandinavia.

This new pact marks the second collaboration between Zealand and Boehringer Ingelheim following the first agreement, which was signed in June 2011. The first collaboration is ongoing for the development and commercialization of novel glucagon/GLP-1 dual-acting peptide therapeutics to treat patients with Type 2 diabetes and/or obesity.

Source: Zealand Pharma

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