Amgen Signs $50-Million Deal to Develop Five Biotech Drugs
Amgen and AstraZeneca recentlyannounced an agreement to jointly develop and commercialize five monoclonal antibodies from Amgen’s clinical inflammation portfolio: AMG 139, AMG 157, AMG 181, AMG 557, and brodalumab (AMG 827).
The companies believe all the molecules have novel profiles and offer the potential to deliver important treatments across multiple indications in inflammatory diseases. The collaboration will provide Amgen with additional resources to optimally progress its portfolio, and Amgen will benefit from the strong respiratory, inflammation, and asthma development expertise of MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s biologics arm. The collaboration will also capitalise on AstraZeneca’s global commercial reach in respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. The agreement does not include certain territories previously partnered by Amgen for brodalumab with Kyowa Hakko Kirin and AMG 557 with Takeda.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will make a one-time $50-million up-front payment, and the companies will share both costs and profits. Based on current plans, approximately 65% of costs for the 2012 to 2014 period will be funded by AstraZeneca. Thereafter, the companies will split costs equally. Amgen will book sales globally and will retain a low single-digit royalty for brodalumab and a mid single-digit royalty for the rest of the portfolio after which the companies will share profits equally.
AstraZeneca will lead the development and commercialization strategy of AMG 139, AMG 157, and AMG 181, while Amgen will lead the development and commercialization strategy of brodalumab and AMG 557. Each development and commercialization lead will be under the oversight of joint governing bodies. For brodalumab, commercial promotion will be split. Amgen will promote in dermatology indications in the
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science’s promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. For more information, visit www.amgen.com.
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology, and infectious disease. For more information, visit www.astrazeneca.com.
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