The two companies plan to focus their efforts on targeting several rare diseases.
Evox Therapeutics announced a new partnership with Takeda Pharmaceuticals for a multi-target collaboration in rare diseases.
U.K.-based biotech company Evox and Takeda plan to focus their efforts on targeting several rare diseases.
This will include Evox’s pre-clinical program in Niemann-Pick disease type C, as well as up to five new protein replacement and mRNA therapies. Evox said there would be a second new program aimed at another rare disease, but that is undisclosed at this time.
The collaboration will allow Evox to continue its current work in exome-based targeting delivery technology while taking advantage of Takeda’s extensive development and clinical expertise to drive these partnered programs into the clinic.
“Evox Therapeutics has developed a novel approach toward treating devastating diseases, such as Niemann-Pick Type C. The targeted and non-targeted exosomes offer a highly differentiated platform with the potential to enhance tissue delivery for a variety of payloads like mRNA and proteins,” said Madhu Natarajan, Head of the Rare Diseases Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda. “Collaborating on the Evox exosome platform also complements our expanding capabilities in cell and gene therapies, particularly with the potential to develop new delivery approaches in addition to our cutting-edge adeno associated virus platform, to provide transformative therapies or functional cures for people living with rare diseases.”
Takeda may also select up to three additional rare disease targets as part of the agreement.
Evox will be in charge of the bulk of the research and development activities for each of the programs until investigational new drug program (IND)-enabling studies and manufacturing up to and including Phase I clinical trials.
Evox continues to benefit from the partnership with funding that will help them and Takeda in advancing and development for the next couple of years. Under the agreement, Evox is to be eligible for up to $44 million in upfront, near-term milestone payments and research funding.
The terms also state that Evox is to receive tiered royalties on net sales of each product from the collaboration. Takeda will also be responsible for reimbursing Evox for manufacturing costs acquired after the pre-clinical handover of the programs.
“We are delighted to have entered into this strategically important, multi-target partnership with Takeda, a recognized leader in the development of treatments for rare diseases. We look forward to working with Takeda to advance these exosome drugs towards the clinic,” said Dr. Antonin de Fougerolles, CEO of Evox. Additionally, the deal significantly extends our cash runway into late 2022 and allows us to aggressively expand our own proprietary pipeline of rare disease drugs, including a urea cycle disorder program we expect to enter the clinic in 2021.”
