Novartis and UCB Enter $1.5B Global Collaboration to Develop Disease-Modifying Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease

On December 2, 2021, UCB announced that it had reached a global collaboration agreement with Novartis to jointly develop and commercialize UCB's investigational therapies for Parkinson’s disease, including the potential “first-in-class” oral small molecule alpha-synuclein misfolding inhibitor UCB0599 (currently in Phase 2 clinical development).

Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will jointly develop UCB0599. Additionally, after UCB completes the Phase 1 clinical trial of the alpha-synuclein antibody therapy UCB7853, Novartis has the option to join the global co-development of this therapy and will co-fund and manage further clinical development. UCB will receive an upfront payment of $150 million and is eligible for additional potential development and sales-related milestone payments, totaling nearly $1.5 billion.

The most prominent neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the abnormal accumulation and misfolding of α-synuclein. This misfolding is a crucial step in the pathological progression of Parkinson’s disease, ultimately leading to neuronal loss. As an inhibitor of α-synuclein misfolding, UCB0599 has the potential to slow disease progression and associated clinical symptoms. Another complementary strategy involves using antibodies targeting α-synuclein (such as UCB7853) to inhibit the extracellular spread of pathogenic proteins, which could enhance therapeutic efficacy.

References:

[1] UCB Announces Global Partnership To Bring Disease-Modifying Therapies To People Living With Parkinson's Disease. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ucb-announces-global-partnership-to-bring-disease-modifying-therapies-to-people-living-with-parkinsons-disease-301435734.html

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