Boehringer Ingelheim has signed a licensing agreement with Japan’s Kyowa Kirin to develop a new treatment for fibro-inflammatory diseases.
The deal aligns with Boehringer Ingelheim’s strategy to create breakthrough therapies in this disease area to enhance patient outcomes.
Boehringer Ingelheim will receive exclusive rights from the Japanese pharmaceutical and biotechnology company to develop treatments globally.
Kyowa Kirin will receive €410m, including an upfront payment and additional success-based milestones, along with sales royalties.
Kyowa Kirin senior managing executive officer, chief medical officer and board director Takeyoshi Yamashita stated: “We are pleased to announce that we have signed the licence agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim.
“The compound was discovered through Kyowa Kirin’s expertise in innovative technology and disease biology. Boehringer Ingelheim is highly regarded for its expertise in fibro-inflammatory diseases, and we believe that it should be the best partner to maximise and deliver the value of our compound for patients in need.”
Fibro-inflammatory diseases, which include conditions such as systemic sclerosis and lung fibrosis, are caused by chronic inflammation and are a significant source of morbidity and mortality globally.
Such diseases severely affect a patient's quality of life and are responsible for more than one-third of deaths worldwide.
Boehringer Ingelheim corporate senior vice-president and discovery research global head Clive Wood stated: “We are very excited about partnering with Kyowa Kirin and being able to add this opportunity to our portfolio to develop breakthrough treatments for patients with this new collaboration.”
Boehringer is conducting Phase III clinical trials for BI 1015550, a PDE4B inhibitor, targeting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases.
Boehringer recently signed a partnership and licensing agreement with 3T Biosciences for the discovery and development of next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
