Nordic Life Science 1
Business deals – Acquisitions – Agreements – Coll
aborations T E X T B Y M AL IN O T M ANI Margareth Jorvid, Head of Regulatory Affairs, and Evelina Vågesjö, CEO, IlyaPharma A GREEMEN T AstraZeneca and CSPC Pharmaceutical Group collaborate The companies have entered into an exclusive license agreement to advance the development of an early stage, novel small molecule Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) disruptor that has the potential to offer additional benefits for patients with dyslipidaemia. R&D Ilya Pharma receives Rare Pediatric Disease Designation The company has received the Designation from the FDA for emilimogene sigulactibac for the treatment of skin wounds in SAVI patients. "PEDIATRIC PATIENTS living with SAVI deal with a significant unmet medical need with limited treatment options,” says Margareth Jorvid, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Ilya Pharma. “Obtaining Rare Pediatric Disease Designation is another acknowledgement of the serious and life-threatening manifestations of this rare disease, and supports our mission to provide emilimogene sigulactibac as a potential new treatment option,” she adds. STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is caused by Gain-of-function mutations in the STING1 gene, which encodes the transmembrane protein STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes). The rationale for investigating topical emilimogene sigulactibac (INN), ILP100-Topical for the treatment of skin wounds in patients with SAVI, is based on the results from previous published nonclinical and clinical studies showing accelerated wound healing, increased numbers of CXCR4-expressing tissue restorative macrophages in injured tissue, improved vessel function and tissue restoration, and potent antimicrobial effects on bacterial wound pathogens, especially multi drug-resistant bacteria. NLS UNDER THE TERMS of the agreement, AstraZeneca will receive access to CSPC’s pre-clinical candidate small molecule, YS2302018, which has been shown to effectively prevent the formation of Lp(a). Lp(a) is a form of lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) that plays a key role in the transportation of cholesterol in the blood stream. Elevated levels of Lp(a), as well as elevated LDL-cholesterol, are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke. CSPC will receive an upfront payment of USD 100 million from AstraZeneca and is also eligible to receive up to USD 1.92 billion for further development and commercialization milestones plus tiered royalties. “Advancing novel therapies that can be used alone or in combination to effectively address known risk factors and advance patient care is particularly important and a key part of our strategy,” says Sharon Barr, EVP and Head of BioPharmceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca. NLS USD 2.5 MILLION … … in milestone payment has been granted to Irlab under its collaboration framework with the McQuade Center (MSRD) a member of the global Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies. Sharon Barr, Head, Biopharma R&D, AstraZeneca NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG | 11 PHOTO MIKAEL WALLERSTEDT