Sosei Heptares Partners with Takeda to Develop Novel GPCR-Targeted Therapies for Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Disorders

On August 6, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited would collaborate with Sosei Heptares, a biotechnology company under the Sosei Group, to jointly develop and commercialize novel molecules targeting modulatory G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including small-molecule drugs and biologics. The total value of this collaboration is expected to exceed $1.2 billion.

Sosei Heptares, established in 1990 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is an international biopharmaceutical company. Leveraging its proprietary GPCR-targeting StaR® technology and structure-based drug design platform, the company focuses on the design and development of novel therapeutics. Sosei Heptares is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of collaborative programs and wholly owned candidates across multiple therapeutic areas, including central nervous system disorders, oncology, metabolic diseases, and other rare specialty indications.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda), founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1781, boasts a 238-year history as an innovation-driven global pharmaceutical company and ranks as the 15th largest pharmaceutical company worldwide. With annual sales reaching $19 billion, Takeda maintains the seventh-largest research and development pipeline among global pharmaceutical companies, featuring a robust portfolio of original new drugs. As per its strategic plan, Takeda will focus on strengthening its capabilities in oncology, gastroenterology, neuroscience, and vaccines in the coming years.

Under the terms, Sosei Heptares will receive an upfront payment of $26 million. In addition to research funding during the agreement term, Sosei Heptares will be eligible for future development, commercialization, and net sales-based milestone payments totaling potentially more than $1.2 billion, as well as tiered royalties on future sales of collaborative products. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited will be responsible for the development and commercialization of potential new drugs for each new target, and Sosei Heptares will grant Takeda exclusive rights to develop these drugs.

This collaboration aims to combine Sosei Heptares’ proprietary GPCR structure-based drug design capabilities with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited’s expertise in discovery, development, and therapeutics. The partnership will initially focus on high-priority gastrointestinal targets nominated by Takeda, with the potential to expand into other therapeutic areas.

It is reported that on July 16 this year, Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, also signed a similar agreement with Sosei Heptares, with the collaboration focusing on GPCR targets. The deal includes an upfront payment of $26 million, with milestone payments potentially exceeding $1 billion.

Takeda’s venture capital arm was an early investor in Sosei Heptares, and the two parties have maintained a close relationship over the years. This collaboration will provide an exciting pathway to accelerate the development of novel therapies for inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases and functional disorders, which are key therapeutic areas for Takeda.

GPCRs are the largest family of human membrane proteins, comprising approximately 400 receptors, of which about 224 remain unexplored and hold vast untapped potential. GPCRs bind to chemical substances in the cellular environment and activate a series of intracellular signaling pathways, ultimately leading to changes in cellular state. As ideal drug targets for treating various diseases, they are the focus of approximately 40% of modern pharmaceuticals.

GPCRs can be inhibited or activated. Based on the biological responses elicited by compounds, GPCR ligands are simply classified as agonists, antagonists, or inhibitors. Therapeutic ligand compounds can bind to GPCRs and stabilize their conformation, thereby influencing various intracellular signaling pathways mediated by different G proteins, receptor kinases, blockers, or other adaptor proteins.

“This collaboration offers an exciting avenue for the discovery of treatments for intestinal inflammation and motility disorders,” said Dr. Gareth Hicks, Head of Gastroenterology Drug Discovery at Takeda, in a statement. “We look forward to collaborating with Sosei Heptares to advance research on identified targets, accelerating the development of new therapies for patients.”

(Compiled by Cheng Tao)