Parkinson’s drug research field includes many companies developing therapies to treat toxic proteins associated with disease progression, and Novartis is adopting Alliance with UCBNovartis has agreed to pay UCB US$150 million in advance to share the development of two clinical-stage drugs.
The neuron protein being studied by UCB and other Parkinson’s drug developers based in Brussels, Belgium is called alpha synucleinIt is abundant in the brain and plays a role in the transmission of signal molecules between neurons. But in Parkinson’s disease, proteins can misfold and accumulate. The aggregated alpha-synuclein is related to the progression of the disease.
The most advanced of UCB’s two Parkinson’s drug candidates is UCB0599, which is an oral drug in capsule form. This small molecule is designed to penetrate into the brain and is designed to prevent the misfolding of alpha-synuclein.The drug is San Diego-based Neuropore Therapies and UCB authorization Year 2014. UCB0599 is currently being evaluated in a placebo-controlled Phase 2a study, with the goal of recruiting approximately 300 early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients. UCB stated in its financial performance report for the first half of 2021 that preliminary data from the study is expected to be available in 2023. According to the terms of the cooperation, the two companies will jointly develop UCB0599 and jointly fund its further development.
The second UCB Parkinson drug candidate is an antibody code-named UCB7853, which is currently in the first phase of testing. After the drug completes the first phase of UCB testing, Novartis has the right to choose to participate in the global development of the antibody. If Novartis exercises this right, the two companies will share the cost of further clinical development of the drug.
Based on the clinical development and regulatory progress of these two Parkinson’s drugs, if approved, UCB could earn up to $1.5 billion in revenue in terms of regulatory and sales milestones. The agreement requires the two companies to share the responsibility for bringing them to market; UCB will lead in Europe and Japan, and Novartis will lead commercialization in the United States and all other regions.
“Our long-term goal is to transform the field of treatment from symptom management to treatment that can slow or stop disease progression,” Charl van Zyl, executive vice president of neurology and head of European/international marketing at UCB, said in a prepared statement . “By sharing resources and working together, we believe that we can best optimize our chances of success and realize our Parkinson’s ambitions.”
By cooperating with UCB, Novartis has the opportunity to consolidate its neuroscience prospects. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant’s neuropharmaceutical lineup currently includes spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy Zolgensma and multiple sclerosis drug Kesimpta. Before the deal with UCB, Novartis did not have any Parkinson’s disease drug candidates for clinical development.
Other companies developing alpha-synuclein targeted drugs include AC Immune, acquired the rights to the transaction pipeline of the Parkinson project, The most advanced of which is Affiris’ Phase 2 therapeutic vaccine. September, start Vanqua Bio launched with US$85 million in funding to support the development of its small molecules Designed to restore the ability of cells to remove toxic proteins.
at the same time, GlaxoSmithKline has partnered with Alector to jointly develop the two main treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease that the biotech company is developingAlector’s drugs are designed to restore the ability of neuronal immune cells to regulate the immune activity of the brain. The biotech company said its drugs can be combined with alpha-synuclein targeted therapy.
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