Another pre-clinical antisense oligonucleotide licensing deal was struck late last month.
Takeda acquired an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize AcuraStem’s PIKFYVE-targeted Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) program, including Acurastem’s lead drug candidate, AS-202. The PIKFYVE target may also be relevant for the treatment of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).
AcuraStem revealed that it will receive an upfront and milestone payments of up to US$580 m (AU$910m) if all future clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones are achieved during the term of the agreement, plus tiered royalties on any commercialized products.
AcuraStem will be responsible for certain activities to help advance AS-202 IND-enabling studies and characterizing potential backup ASOs. Takeda will be responsible for all other development activities including clinical development, regulatory affairs, and global commercialization.
AcuraStem/Takeda are not the only ones chasing ALS with a PIKFYVE-targeting drug. Verge Genomics has announced that it will soon enter Phase 2 with its oral drug following positive Phase 1 results.
https://www.biospace.com/article/takeda-puts-nearly-600m-on-the-line-for-acurastem-s-als-program/https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biote...fyve-als-target-licensing-acurastem-drug-580mhttps://acurastem.com/blog/acurastem-enters-license-agreement-takeda-advance-pikfyve-therapeutics
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