Confo Therapeutics Enters into Collaboration Agreement with Daiichi Sankyo to Discover Novel Medicines for CNS Diseases

March 30, 2023 |

2 min read

Confo Therapeutics announced that it has entered a collaboration agreement with Daiichi Sankyo for the discovery and development of small molecule agonists against an undisclosed target associated with CNS diseases.

Collaboration to make use of Confo’s unique suite of ConfoBody^®-enabled technologies for fragment- and structure-based drug design
Confo to receive upfront and milestone payments totaling EUR 168M
Tiered royalties payable to Confo on net sales from resulting products

GHENT, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Confo Therapeutics, a leader in the discovery of medicines targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced that it has entered a collaboration agreement with Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) for the discovery and development of small molecule agonists against an undisclosed target associated with CNS diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Confo will lead the discovery process deploying its GPCR platform to generate lead series of small molecule compounds. Daiichi Sankyo has an exclusive option to acquire a worldwide exclusive license for the resulting compounds and advance them towards clinical development and commercialization. Confo has the potential to receive upfront payments, development and commercial milestones totaling EUR 168M and royalties.

“Daiichi Sankyo has historically been at the forefront of leveraging innovative technologies to develop novel medicines. We are excited by this collaboration in which we will be using Confo’s expertise and platform to pursue a previously undruggable GPCR target in an area of high unmet medical need,” said Cedric Ververken, CEO of Confo Therapeutics. “As we expand the scope of our internal drug discovery and development efforts, we look forward to continuing to enter partnerships with leading innovators to create new therapeutic options for patients.”

About Confo Therapeutics

Confo Therapeutics’ unparalleled technology stabilizes functional conformations of GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors), thereby enabling the discovery of chemical or biological ligands that are conformationally selective. This platform combined with the pharmacologic and biologic insight it provides, allows Confo to build a multi-indication pipeline of drug candidates with the vision of transforming therapeutic outcomes for patients with severe illnesses lacking disease-modifying treatments. Confo Therapeutics was spun out of VIB-VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium.

For more information, visit www.confotherapeutics.com