AC Immune & Takeda Sign Exclusive Option & License Agreement for Active Immunotherapy Targeting Amyloid Beta for Alzheimer’s Disease

Takeda and AC Immune SA recently announced an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement for AC Immune’s active immunotherapies targeting toxic forms of amyloid beta (Abeta), including ACI-24.060 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

ACI-24.060 is an anti-Abeta active immunotherapy candidate designed to induce a robust antibody response against the toxic forms of Abeta believed to drive plaque formation and Alzheimer’s disease progression. By inducing plaque clearance and efficiently inhibiting plaque formation in the brain, ACI-24.060 has the potential to delay or slow Alzheimer’s disease progression. ACI-24.060 is being investigated in the ongoing ABATE randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b/2 trial to assess the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and pharmacodynamic effects of the investigational immunotherapy in subjects with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease and in adults with Down syndrome.

“As pioneers in the field of active immunotherapy, we are developing an innovative approach that could change the treatment paradigm for Alzheimer’s disease and address the multifaceted burden that patients and the broader community face. We believe the maximum impact of ACI-24.060 can best be realized by partnering with Takeda at this critical juncture in its development, which will help us move rapidly into Phase 3,” said Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune. “This agreement allows us to leverage the developmental expertise, strategic vision and financial capacity of an accomplished organization that has demonstrated its ability to execute the type of comprehensive global program required for Phase 3 trials in Alzheimer’s disease while allowing us to focus on completing Phase 1b/2 development and accelerating our efforts to replicate this success with enhanced funding for our early-stage pipeline.”

AC Immune will be responsible for completing the ABATE trial. Following option exercise, Takeda would conduct and fund all further clinical development and be responsible for all global regulatory activities as well as worldwide commercialization.

“At Takeda, we are committed to tackling some of society’s most debilitating illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease. We are excited to partner with AC Immune on this ground-breaking treatment approach, which leverages novel technology with the potential to offer patients a treatment with differentiated efficacy, safety and ease of administration,” said Sarah Sheikh, MSc, BM, BCh, MRCP, Head, Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Unit and Head, Global Development at Takeda. “Combining AC Immune’s deep experience with active immunotherapy approaches with Takeda’s expertise in neuroscience drug development and commercialization, we have an incredible opportunity to deliver real impact to the Alzheimer’s community.”

Under the terms of the agreement, AC Immune will receive an upfront payment of $100 million and be eligible to receive an option exercise fee and additional potential development, commercial and sales-based milestones of up to approximately $2.1 billion if all related milestones are achieved over the course of the agreement. Upon commercialization, AC Immune will be entitled to receive tiered double-digit royalties on worldwide net sales.

Further details related to the agreement are available in the Form 6-K filed today by AC Immune with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The effectiveness of Takeda’s license following option exercise is subject to the termination or expiration of any applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

This product is AC Immune’s anti-Abeta active immunotherapy candidate. The ABATE randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b/2 trial of ACI-24.060 for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continues fully blinded (NCT05462106). Enrolled patients are required to have a diagnosis of prodromal AD: MCI due to AD according to the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) criteria, and a PET scan at screening must be consistent with the presence of amyloid pathology. Patients will be randomized to one of several doses of ACI-24.060 or placebo. Following multiple data safety monitoring board (DSMB) reviews, no safety concerns have been raised to date, consistent with previous results. Immunogenicity of the immunotherapy is very encouraging with clear evidence of anti-Abeta antibody responses against toxic Abeta species observed in the blinded data. The six-month Abeta positron emission tomography (PET) imaging results are expected in Q2 2024, and the 12-month Abeta PET data are expected in Q4 2024.

Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com.

AC Immune SA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that aims to become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and NeuroOrphan indications driven by misfolded proteins. The Company’s two clinically validated technology platforms, SupraAntigen and Morphomer, fuel its broad and diversified pipeline of first- and best-in-class assets, which currently features sixteen therapeutic and diagnostic programs, five of which are currently in Phase 2 clinical trials and one of which is in Phase 3. AC Immune has a strong track record of securing strategic partnerships with leading global pharmaceutical companies, resulting in substantial non-dilutive funding to advance its proprietary programs and >$4.5 billion in potential milestone payments.