Heptares grants Shire an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialise drug candidates for CNS disorders

22-Mar-2012 - United Kingdom

Heptares Therapeutics announced that an operating company of Shire plc has exercised its exclusive option to license a novel adenosine A2A antagonist discovered by Heptares that is currently in preclinical development. Adenosine A2A is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) involved in the regulation of dopaminergic pathways in the brain. Inhibition of the A2A receptor is a validated mechanism in the treatment of CNS disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement Heptares grants Shire an exclusive licence to worldwide development and commercial rights to A2A antagonists discovered by Heptares. Heptares receives upfront option grant and exercise payments and is also eligible to receive future development and commercial milestone payments up to US$190 million plus royalties on product sales. Further terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.

Jeff Jonas, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Specialty Pharmaceuticals and Regenerative Medicine, Shire, said: “Shire is continuously in search of innovations that have the potential to help us develop well differentiated medicines that will bring value to patients. This agreement with Heptares is a reflection of our growth strategy of investing and focusing on highly targeted drug discovery platforms. We are impressed with the novelty and quality of the A2A antagonist leads generated by Heptares, resulting from what we believe to be the first time a structure-based drug discovery approach has been applied from the beginning to a GPCR drug target. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with Heptares and to advancing the programme for the benefit of patients suffering from CNS disorders.”

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/137072/heptares-grants-shire-an-exclusive-worldwide-license-to-develop-and-commercialise-drug-candidates-for-cns-disorders.html