Polyphor, a research-driven pharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of macrocyclic drugs, has announced that Boehringer Ingelheim has decided to enter into the next stage of its drug discovery collaboration with Polyphor. Financial details were not disclosed.
This collaborative project was originally initiated in June 2012 with the objective to discover and develop novel macrocyclic compounds for targets nominated by Boehringer Ingelheim. Following the successful hit identification phase, the parties have now agreed to move forward to generate candidates suitable for pre-clinical development.
Dr. Daniel Obrecht, co-founder and CSO of Polyphor, commented:
'We are extremely pleased to move this collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to the next research stage. This achievement clearly demonstrates that our proprietary MacroFinder® platform can successfully address difficult intracellular targets where small molecule approaches have failed so far. We look forward to extending and further strengthening the collaboration with our research partners at Boehringer Ingelheim.”
About the Polyphor & Boehringer Ingelheim alliance
In June 2012 Polyphor entered into a multi-year, multi-target drug discovery alliance with Boehringer Ingelheim in which Polyphor is applying its proprietary MacroFinder® drug discovery technology to identify and optimize novel macrocyclic drug candidates addressing challenging therapeutic targets selected by Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer Ingelheim will then be solely responsible for subsequent development and commercialization of the identified drug candidates. In return, Polyphor receives an up-front payment, research funding, milestone payments and royalties on the commercial sales of any approved products.
Its product portfolio includes:
POL6326, a CXCR4 antagonist, with ongoing and upcoming Phase II clinical trials for stem cell transplantation, tissue repair and combination treatments in oncology;
POL7080, a highly specific antibiotic with a novel mode of action to treat life-threatening Pseudomonas infections (Phase II);
POL6014, an inhibitor of neutrophil elastase which may lead to a breakthrough therapy for serious lung diseases such as Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, Cystic Fibrosis, and other lung diseases (ready for IND enabling studies).
In addition, Polyphor has established R&D collaborations with Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim, which are based on its macrocycle technology platform.
For additional information, please visit www.polyphor.com
