Lilly, Ligand Extend R&D Collaboration to Discover and Develop Novel Drugs for Metabolic Diseases

Alliance Partners Provide Development Update on Portfolio of Potential Drugs for Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disorders and Obesity

15-Apr-2002

Eli Lilly and Company and Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will extend until November 2003 their research collaboration focused on discovering novel drugs for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and obesity, the companies announced today. Lilly retains rights to extend the collaboration for two additional one-year terms.

The collaboration, which began in 1997, already has selected multiple clinical candidates and advanced three peroxisome proliferation activated receptor (PPAR) modulators into early clinical studies or to human development track. PPARs are a subfamily of intracellular receptors that regulate lipid and glucose homeostasis, and that play a key role in fat tissue stores and metabolism, as well as enhancing cellular responses to insulin. One of these receptors (PPAR gamma) is the target of currently marketed thiazolidinedione drugs.

“We are extremely pleased with the productivity of our collaboration with Ligand and the value it is creating for both partners,” said Jose F. Caro, M.D., vice president of endocrine research and clinical investigation for Lilly. “The PPARs continue to be important drug targets for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Our collaboration has proven over the past five years that we can develop numerous high- quality clinical drug candidates, directed to these targets, which may become the next generation of medicines to help patients with metabolic diseases.”

Under the terms of the collaboration, Ligand receives research funding from Lilly. Lilly is responsible for the development and registration of any products resulting from the collaboration, and pays Ligand milestone payments as products move through the development process. Lilly has exclusive worldwide marketing rights to products resulting from the research, and will pay Ligand royalties on sales of products that make it to market.

“The Lilly-Ligand alliance has made extraordinary progress in the field of PPAR modulators, targeting selectively the different receptor subtypes (gamma, alpha, delta) or developing co-agonists for different receptor pairs,” said Andres Negro-Vilar, M.D., Ph.D., Ligand’s senior vice president for research and development and chief scientific officer. “We have developed a broad platform of molecules with distinct receptor specificity and tissue selectivity, allowing us to bring to the clinic molecules with enhanced activity and broader therapeutic profiles for the treatment of type II diabetes, dyslipidemias and associated cardiovascular disorders. Lilly’s expertise and leadership in these fields ensures leverage of these approaches into multibillion-dollar markets.”

Development Status Update LY818, Lilly’s most advanced PPAR modulator for type II diabetes and metabolic diseases, has successfully completed its first Phase I trial, which began in the fourth quarter of 2001. LY929, for type II diabetes, metabolic diseases and dyslipidemias, is progressing through final preclinical studies toward a target IND filing this quarter. A third Lilly compound for dyslipidemias is advancing toward a target IND filing in the fourth quarter of this year.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/10108/lilly-ligand-extend-r-d-collaboration-to-discover-and-develop-novel-drugs-for-metabolic-diseases.html