Eccogene and AstraZeneca Enter into Exclusive Licensing Agreement for Oral Small Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist ECC5004 with Potential Deal Value Exceeding $2 Billion
Eccogene
Small Molecule Drug Developer
AstraZeneca
Biopharmaceutical Manufacturer
▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Report
On November 9, Eccogene announced its collaboration withAstraZenecaReach an exclusive licensing agreement. AstraZeneca will develop and commercialize the discoveries made by Eccogene.Small Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1RA) ECC5004, for Potential Treatment of Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Other ComorbiditiesAccording to the terms of the agreement, Eccogene will receive$185 millionThe upfront payment. In addition, Eccogene will be eligible to receive up to$1.825 billionFuture clinical, registration, and commercialization milestone payments. Meanwhile, Eccogene will also be eligible for tiered royalties on the product’s net sales.
ECC5004 is a once-daily, low-dose, small molecule GLP-1RA, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials in the United States for healthy subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes. ECC5004 has demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in preclinical studies.
CEO of EccogeneDr. Zhou JingyeExpressed,GLP-1RA is an important class of drugs for treating various cardiometabolic diseases. Currently, no orally administered small-molecule GLP-1RA has been approved. Small-molecule GLP-1 RAs, including ECC5004, compared with existing GLP-1RA therapies,May offer greater convenience and ease of use in terms of administration and dosage.AstraZeneca has strong clinical development and commercialization capabilities. This significant collaboration between Eccogene and AstraZeneca will accelerate the development of ECC5004, benefiting patients worldwide as soon as possible.
Executive Vice President, Global Head of BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZenecaSharon BarrPh.D."Noted: 'The number of patients with obesity has now exceeded 1 billion, highlighting an urgent need to continue innovating the next generation of treatment options. The Phase 1 clinical data from Eccogene is highly promising. We believe this oral small-molecule GLP-1 RA drug can provide an alternative to current injectable therapies, serving as a potential monotherapy for obesity and type 2 diabetes or as part of combination treatments for various cardiometabolic diseases. ECC5004 further enhances our existing R&D pipeline involving incretin and non-incretin pathways, which includes the GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist (AZD9550) and the long-acting amylin analog (AZD6234).'"
It is reported that in exchange, AstraZeneca will obtain the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Eccogene's GLP-1RA ECC5004 for any indication outside of China. Within China, Eccogene and AstraZeneca will collaborate on the co-development and co-commercialization of ECC5004.
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