The promise of advanced medicine and medical technology is only as strong as its ability to deliver benefits to patients. EPIX Pharmaceuticals is partnering with some of the premier organizations in the industry to ensure its products and product candidates can realize their full potential in development and in the marketplace.
Therapeutic Alliances
Collaboration and licensing are important strategic components of EPIX's business model. EPIX is seeking partners for advanced clinical development and/or collaborations for its small molecule drug programs in select therapeutic areas.
Collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline
In December 2006, EPIX entered into a worldwide multi-target strategic collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to discover, develop and market novel medicines targeting four G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including EPIX's novel 5-HT4 partial agonist program, PRX-03140, in early-stage clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The alliance with GSK will be conducted through its Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD).
EPIX will be responsible for the discovery and development of small molecule drug candidates targeting four GPCRs, including PRX-03140, through to clinical proof-of-concept, at which point GSK will have an exclusive option to license each product for further development and commercialization on a worldwide basis. If GSK exercises the option to license EPIX's 5-HT4 partial agonist program, EPIX will retain the right to co-promote any products from that program in the United States.
To date, EPIX has achieved three GSK discovery milestones.
Collaboration with Amgen
EPIX has an agreement with Amgen for the development of novel, orally available S1P1 modulators for the treatment of multiple auto-immune diseases. EPIX and Amgen are collaborating on the development of existing EPIX preclinical-stage compounds and new S1P1 modulators. Amgen will be responsible for clinical development and commercialization of the product candidate(s).
Collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
EPIX has a collaborative research, development and commercialization agreement with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, focused on discovering potential drug therapies targeting the CFTR ion channel. The collaboration may lead to significant advances in the field of cystic fibrosis research. Under the terms of the agreement, EPIX will own all worldwide rights to any compound that results from this collaboration. To date, under the collaboration with CFFT, EPIX has earned $5 million in milestone payments and continues to be eligible to earn up to $50 million. In January 2008, EPIX received a $1.25 million milestone for the successful development of a validated model of a full-length CFTR ion channel protein. In September 2008, EPIX announced a breakthrough in identifying two structural classes of dual-acting compounds that act as both potentiators and correctors that target the delta F508 mutation of the CFTR. As a result of this development, EPIX received a $500,000 milestone payment from CFFT. In March 2009, EPIX successfully completed in silico high throughput screening at four distinct sites in the delta F508 mutational form of CFTR for small molecules that may correct the defects in the mutation's cellular processing and chloride channel gating. As a result of this achievement, EPIX received a $500,000 milestone payment from CFFT.
Business Development Opportunities
EPIX is currently seeking a partner for development and commercialization of EP-2104R. EP-2104R is a novel fibrin-imaging agent used to identify blood clots using MRI. EP-2104R has successfully completed a Phase 2a clinical trial and is the first targeted high-resolution technique designed to visualize blood clots directly.
For more information, please contact us at:
busdev@EPIXpharma.com
