Autifony Announces Exclusive Global License and Collaboration Agreement with Jazz Pharmaceuticals on Two Ion Channel Targets for Neurological Disorders
14 November 2023 - 6:00PM
Business Wire
- Total Deal Value of Up to $770.5 million including Upfront
Payment and Potential Milestone Payments
- Autifony Eligible to Receive Royalties on Future Net
Sales
Autifony Therapeutics Limited (“Autifony”), which is pioneering
the development of novel pharmaceutical treatments for rare CNS
disorders and other serious brain diseases, today announced that it
has entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement with Jazz
Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) (Jazz) for up to $770.5 million
to discover and develop drug candidates targeting two different ion
channel targets associated with neurological disorders.
Autifony will lead drug discovery and preclinical development
activities on the two targets. Subsequent to successful completion
of such preclinical development, Jazz will lead all clinical
development, manufacturing and regulatory activities and
commercialization.
Under the terms of the agreement, Autifony will receive an
upfront payment from Jazz and is eligible to receive development,
regulatory and commercial milestone payments across the two
programmes. The upfront and milestone payments have a combined
total value of up to $770.5 million. Autifony is also eligible to
receive royalties on future net sales.
Dr Charles Large, Chief Executive Officer of Autifony
Therapeutics, commented: “We are excited to be working with
Jazz Pharmaceuticals on two novel ion channel targets, on which we
can bring to bear Autifony’s long standing expertise in small
molecule ion channel drug discovery and development. Jazz has an
exceptional track record of rapidly advancing neuroscience
development programmes and effectively commercializing novel
therapies that offer improvements over current standards of care.
These programmes have the potential to bring ground-breaking
benefits to patients in a range of indications.”
Autifony is leveraging its pioneering scientific expertise and
proprietary ion channel drug discovery platform to generate a
pipeline of small molecule modulators that selectively target
specific subtypes of ion channels.
Ion channels are vital to many physiological functions including
the activity of nerves and muscles. They are membrane proteins that
act as gated pathways for the movement of ions across cell
membranes. Increasingly, a number of diseases have been associated
with defects in ion channel function. Many of these diseases are
the result of mutations in the genes encoding ion channel proteins,
and they are now known as the “channelopathies”. Targeting these
channels offers opportunities for precision medicine in diseases
that have been difficult to treat in the past.
Notes to Editors
About Autifony Therapeutics Ltd
Autifony Therapeutics is an independent UK based biotechnology
company formed in 2011 as a spin-out from GSK, which retains equity
in the company. The Company is focused on the development of high
value, novel medicines to treat serious diseases of the central
nervous system. It is funded by SV Health Investors, IP Group,
Pfizer Ventures, International Biotechnology Trust PLC, and UCL
Business plc. For more information, please visit
www.autifony.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231113799570/en/
Instinctif Partners (Autifony) Melanie Toyne-Sewell /
Giulia Lasagni T: +44 (0) 20 7457 2020 E:
Autifony@instinctif.com
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