– Strategic partnership agreement provides Neurocrine Biosciences exclusive worldwide rights to early-to-mid-stage psychiatry pipeline compounds within Takeda’s Neuroscience portfolio
– Collaboration includes three clinical-stage assets with the most advanced molecule in Phase II for negative symptoms of schizophrenia
– Takeda retains ability to opt in or out of a 50:50 profit share on all clinical programs at certain development events
SAN DIEGO, CA, USA and OSAKA, Japan I June 16, 2020 I Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (“Takeda”) today announced a strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize compounds in Takeda’s early-to-mid-stage psychiatry pipeline. Specifically, Takeda granted an exclusive license to Neurocrine Biosciences for seven pipeline programs, including three clinical stage assets for schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depression and anhedonia.
“We are excited to collaborate with Takeda to bring life-changing therapies to people living with serious, challenging and under-addressed psychiatric disorders who are in need of better treatment options,” said Kevin Gorman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Neurocrine Biosciences. “With our deep understanding in the fields of psychiatry and neurology, we look forward to developing new treatments for schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depression and anhedonia as part of our diverse clinical development pipeline. This strategic partnership enhances our growing pipeline and strengthens our position as a leading neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company.”
“With longstanding experience developing and commercializing therapies for serious neurological and psychiatric disorders, Neurocrine Biosciences is the ideal partner to continue to develop our early-to-mid-stage psychiatry portfolio and bring these potential new therapies to patients,” said Sarah Sheikh, M.D., M.Sc., MRCP, Head, Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Unit at Takeda. “Takeda is deeply committed to Neuroscience as one of our core therapeutic areas. The strategic partnership with Neurocrine Biosciences allows us to continue to build on our leadership in psychiatry and deliver future medicines for these patients while advancing our clinical assets for rare neurological diseases, such as narcolepsy, developmental and epileptic encephalopathies and neurodegenerative conditions.”
Collaboration Details
Under the terms of the agreement, Neurocrine Biosciences will be responsible for developing and commercializing all pipeline compounds included in the collaboration. Takeda will receive a total of $120 million USD in upfront cash. Additionally, Takeda will be entitled to development milestones of up to $495 million USD, commercial milestones of up to $1.4 billion USD and up to double-digit royalties on net sales. At certain development events, Takeda may elect to opt in or out of a 50:50 profit share on all clinical programs on an asset-by-asset basis. For any asset in which Takeda is participating in a 50:50 profit share arrangement, Takeda will not be eligible to receive development or commercial milestones.
Conference Call Information
Today, Neurocrine Biosciences will host a conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET to provide commentary on the collaboration. The live call may be accessed by dialing (866) 831-8711 (U.S.) or (203) 518-9883 (International) using the conference ID: 5022. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available online on the Neurocrine Bioscience website under Investors at www.neurocrine.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website approximately one hour after the conclusion of the event and will be archived for approximately one month.
About Programs in the Collaboration Agreement
TAK-831
TAK-831 is a potential first-in-class D-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAAO) inhibitor that has completed multiple Phase I studies and is currently in on-going Phase II studies including the Phase II INTERACT proof-of-concept study in negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
TAK-653
TAK-653 is a potential first-in-class Alpha-Amino-3-Hydroxy-5-Methyl-4-Isoxazole Propionic Acid (AMPA) potentiator. TAK-653 has completed Phase I studies and is a Phase II study-ready compound with the potential to be developed for treatment-resistant depression.
TAK-041
TAK-041 is a potential first-in-class G Protein-Coupled Receptor 139 (GPR139) agonist. TAK-041 has completed multiple Phase I studies and is a Phase II study-ready compound with the potential to be developed for the treatment of anhedonia in depression. Anhedonia is a psychological condition characterized by the inability to experience pleasure.
Preclinical Programs
The collaboration includes the rights to four preclinical programs.
About Neurocrine Biosciences
Neurocrine Biosciences is a neuroscience-focused, biopharmaceutical company with 28 years of experience discovering and developing life-changing treatments for people with serious, challenging and under-addressed neurological, endocrine and psychiatric disorders. The company’s diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, Parkinson’s disease endometriosis* and uterine fibroids* and clinical development programs in multiple therapeutic areas including a gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease, chorea in Huntington disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, epilepsy and polycystic ovary syndrome*. Headquartered in San Diego, Neurocrine Biosciences specializes in targeting and interrupting disease-causing mechanisms involving the interconnected pathways of the nervous and endocrine systems. For more information, visit neurocrine.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn. (*in collaboration with AbbVie)
Takeda’s Commitment to Neuroscience
Takeda’s Neuroscience therapeutic area is driven by the immense unmet need of patients suffering from neurological diseases. Our mission is to bring innovative and potentially disease-modifying medicines to these patients. Our commitment to patients extends beyond our research and development efforts by supporting several neuroscience patient and provider organizations to raise awareness, educate and broaden access to therapies.
About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
SOURCE: Takeda Pharmaceutical Co
