Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Biolojic Design, a biotechnology company that uses computational biology and artificial intelligence to transform antibodies into intelligent medicinal solutions, have announced an exclusive license agreement to develop a potential novel antibody-based therapy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and asthma.
BD9 is a dual specific antibody that can block both TSLP (Thymic stromal lymphopoietin) and IL-13, and has the potential to deliver treatment across typically TH2-driven inflammatory diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. Existing drugs currently approved by health authorities focus on only one of these two drivers of inflammation, and do not respond to pathway dynamics. When TSLP or IL13 is upregulated BD9 can bind to either target with both arms and with high affinity, therefore having the potential to help more patients and improve outcomes.
Richard Francis, Teva’s President and CEO, said: “Our Pivot to Growth strategy is opening a new era for Teva as we step up innovation and accelerate development of novel therapies in our immunology pipeline powered both by our inherent antibody engineering capabilities and exciting partnerships.
“Based on the size of the indications and validity of the targets, this collaboration with Biolojic presents an incredible opportunity to bring this treatment to many patients. As BD9 can tune itself to the specific underlying conditions of the disease and potentially help more patients who do not respond to current therapies and improve outcomes for existing responders and thus addressing a large unmet need.”
Yanay Ofran, Ph.D., CEO and founder of Biolojic Design, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to work with Teva and bring hope to patients. The potential therapy we designed for Atopic Dermatitis and Asthma is another example of how AI can revolutionize drug development.
“Biolojic’s AI platform allows us to rethink and reimagine what drugs can do. Our platform has already yielded the first AI designed antibody that entered the clinic. As Biolojic continues to focus on developing its internal fully owned pipeline, we are excited that our platform may allow Teva to develop BD9 as a novel therapeutic approach that has the potential to be best-in-class.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Teva will receive exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize BD9 worldwide. In exchange, Biolojic will receive an upfront payment, and will be eligible to receive subsequent milestone payments over the next several years, based on the achievement of certain pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Biolojic is also eligible to receive tiered royalties in the mid-single to low-double digit on product sales should Teva successfully commercialize a therapy.
