Gastrotech signs licensing agreement with Eli Lilly following positive clinical data on compound for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Gastrotech Pharma, a biopharmaceutical R&D company with a focus on the medical applications of gastrointestinal hormones, has signed an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, USA) to in-license a Lilly compound (now named GTP-010), an analogue of the naturally occurring intestinal hormone GLP-1.
The deal follows positive clinical data from a joint Lilly and Gastrotech proof of concept study to assess pain reduction associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Gastrotech now plans to develop GTP-010 to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Gastrotech will receive a global exclusive licence to develop and market GTP-010 for IBS and Functional Dyspepsia. Lilly will take an equity stake in Gastrotech and will receive royalties on sales.
GTP-010 is an analogue of GLP-1, a naturally occurring intestinal hormone that plays an important physiological role in assisting the human body to maintain appropriate blood sugar levels and modulate gastric motility following meals. GTP-010 has a longer half life than the natural hormone, and is maintained in the circulation during the acute phase of an IBS pain attack. Here it modulates contractile activity and delays gastric emptying before it is cleared by natural mechanisms.
In collaboration with Eli Lilly, Gastrotech has completed an international multicentre Phase IIa proof of concept clinical study in over 100 IBS patients, led by clinical researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. The study met the primary clinical endpoint finding that GTP-010 was able to reduce pain by greater than 50% of the maximum total possible pain relief. The study also met its secondary clinical endpoints including duration of pain and pain relief response, intensity and global impression of treatment.
Other news from the department business & finance
