AstraZeneca (AZ) has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with China’s Eccogene for global rights to an investigational once-daily oral drug for cardiometabolic diseases, with the deal potentially worth over $1.8bn.
ECC5004 belongs to a promising class of drugs in the cardiometabolic disease space known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which promote weight loss and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by mimicking the hormone GLP-1.
Jingye Zhou, chief executive officer of Eccogene, said that small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonists such as ECC5004 “could potentially offer more dosing convenience and ease of use” compared to existing injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists.
The candidate is currently being evaluated in an early-stage trial of healthy participants and patients with type 2 diabetes and has shown “good tolerability and encouraging glucose and body weight reduction across the dose levels tested compared to placebo,” AZ said in a statement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Eccogene will receive an initial upfront payment of $185m from AZ and will be eligible to receive up to an additional $1.825bn in future clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones, along with tiered royalties on net sales.
In exchange, AZ will be granted exclusive rights to develop and commercialise ECC5004 for any indication in all territories except China, where Eccogene has the right to co-develop and co-commercialise the asset.
Sharon Barr, executive vice president, biopharmaceuticals research and development at AZ, said: “With the number of people living with cardiometabolic conditions and obesity today already over one billion, there is a need for continued innovation and next-generation therapeutic options.
“Building on the promising phase 1 clinical data generated by Eccogene, we believe this oral GLP-1RA molecule could offer alternatives to current injectable therapies both as a potential monotherapy as well as in combination for cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, as well as for obesity.”
Zhou added: “AZ has impressive global capabilities in clinical development and commercialisation. This important collaboration between Eccogene and AZ will accelerate the development of ECC5004, a once-daily, low dose, orally available small molecule GLP-1RA to benefit the millions of patients worldwide living with these diseases.”