Boehringer Ingelheim and Immunitas Therapeutics have announced a global licensing agreement for a preclinical antibody programme being developed for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
The programme is designed to selectively target cells that play a central role in driving chronic inflammation, with the goal of achieving sustained disease control for patients who do not respond adequately to current therapies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will obtain worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the antibody programme. Immunitas Therapeutics will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive near-term and future development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments totaling up to 407.5m euros, in addition to tiered royalties on future sales. Further details of the agreement are not being disclosed.
Carine Boustany, US Innovation Unit Site Head and Global Head of Immunology and Respiratory Diseases at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: “This agreement expands our growing pipeline in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and reflects our commitment to developing treatments that can deliver meaningful, long-term benefit for patients. By complementing our existing portfolio with this differentiated preclinical programme, we aim to address areas where current treatment options fall short.”
Chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases affect millions of people worldwide and can significantly impact quality of life. While current therapies have improved outcomes for some patients, many experience limited or diminishing benefit over time. New approaches that address the underlying drivers of inflammation are needed to achieve longer-lasting disease control.
Unlike therapies that block individual inflammatory signals, the licensed Immunitas antibody programme is designed to target pathogenic cells localised at the sites of inflammation. By targeting this subset of pathogenic cells, the approach has the potential to provide deeper and more durable benefit across a range of inflammatory conditions.
Amanda Wagner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Immunitas Therapeutics, commented: “We believe this collaboration has the potential to translate our science into new treatment options for patients living with chronic inflammatory diseases who need better solutions.”