Eli Lilly has entered a strategic collaboration with MeiraGTx, a vertically integrated, clinical-stage genetic medicines company, to develop and commercialise gene therapies targeting ophthalmic conditions.
“Ophthalmology is an emerging area of interest for Lilly,” said Andrew Adams, Lilly Group Vice President, Molecule Discovery. “We are excited to partner with MeiraGTx to bring transformative treatments to patients around the world suffering from eye diseases, starting with AAV-AIPL1, which has shown the unprecedented ability to restore vision in children who were born legally blind.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will obtain exclusive rights to MeiraGTx’s AAV-AIPL1 programme for the treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis type 4 (LCA4), caused by genetic deficiency of aryl-hydrocarbon-interacting protein-like 1 (AIPL1) – a severe inherited retinal disorder.
The companies reported that in a previous clinical study, all paediatric patients who were born legally blind due to the condition gained vision following treatment with the therapy.
Lilly will also gain exclusive access to MeiraGTx’s gene therapy platform technologies, including novel intravitreal capsids and bespoke, AI-generated promoters for use in ophthalmology. In addition, Lilly will receive certain rights to MeiraGTx’s proprietary riboswitch technology, which enables precise gene editing within the eye.
In exchange, MeiraGTx will receive an upfront payment of $75m and will be eligible for more than $400m in potential milestone payments. The company will also receive tiered royalties on future sales of licensed products.