AbbVie Terminates αvβ6 Inhibitor Program and Fibrosis R&D Collaboration with Morphic Therapeutic

Compiled by | Li Tom

Recently, it has been reported that AbbVie is terminating its partnership with Morphic Therapeutic in fibrosis and will also abandon all development work on alphaVbeta6 (αvβ6) inhibitors in collaboration with the company.

Morphic Therapeutic Discloses Partnership Details in SEC FilingMorphic Therapeutic disclosed the news in a filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday morning. The collaboration between the two companies dates back four years, when AbbVie Inc. paid Morphic Therapeutic $100 million upfront in 2018. The platform, developed by Tim Springer’s lab at Harvard University, focuses on researching mechanisms of integrin key receptors for binding with extracellular domains and promoting rapid wound healing.

In 2020, AbbVie invested another $20 million to obtain the licensing rights for MORF-720 and MORF-627 for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other fibrosis-related diseases. Morphic did not provide specific reasons for AbbVie's ultimate decision to terminate the collaboration. However, the company noted that despite setbacks in the research and development efforts, Morphic’s work on other integrin targets is still ongoing.

In addition to the news on Thursday, Morphic also stated that it will focus on strengthening cooperation with Johnson & Johnson. In February 2019, Morphic announced a research and development collaboration agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, to jointly discover and develop new integrin therapies. The collaboration focuses on several undisclosed integrin targets, and the two companies will explore the therapeutic potential of inhibitors and activators with integrin function.

If the research and development are successful, Morphic will have the opportunity to receive a total of more than $725 million from Johnson & Johnson upon reaching preclinical development, clinical, and commercial milestones. Integrins are a family of receptors commonly found on the surface of most human cells and are dimers composed of one α subunit and one β subunit. Abnormal integrin signaling can lead to various diseases, including those in the fields of fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, and immuno-oncology.

In previous cases, Biogen canceled the Phase 2 study of the monoclonal antibody BG00011 in September 2019 due to safety concerns. Other companies developing drugs to treat IPF by reducing TGF-β activity include Pliant Therapeutics. RBC Capital Markets analysts wrote in a report that while safety issues could be a "potential challenge" for αvβ6-class drugs, they are unlikely to hinder Pliant's continued research and development efforts.

Analysts said that Pliant’s oral small molecule PLN-74809 therapy is proceeding smoothly. The therapy can simultaneously inhibit αvβ6 and αvβ1. In September 2021, Pliant stated that Phase 2a trial data showed that patient target engagement in all four dose levels of the PLN-74809 therapy exceeded 50%. Currently, the biotechnology company is waiting for longer-term trial data to confirm whether the drug can indeed correct idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Another company, Endeavor Biomedicines, also raised $101 million earlier this month to fund the international Phase 2 trial of taladegib (ENV-101). Dr. John Hood, CEO of Endeavor, stated during the financing that the trial data would be released within 18 months.

Reference Source:

1.AbbVie ditches fibrosis program it paid Morphic $20M for in 2020

2.AbbVie cuts away part of its partnership with Morphic on integrin research for fibrosis