Entelos and Organon extend arthritis pact

Organon will receive exclusive rights to targets identified by Entelos and access to Entelos’ research capabilities from discovery to approval. Entelos will receive co-promotion and commercialization rights for products resulting from the collaboration.

In addition to its obligations to co-develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapeutics, Entelos will also provide in silico R&D to support other Organon RA programs and build a third-generation RA PhysioLab platform. The third- generation platform will be developed over two years and include additional biological detail such as B cells and dendritic cells, as well as a serum compartment to conduct biomarker research.

Organon and Entelos have been collaborating in the development of the RA PhysioLab technology since 2001. In 2004, Entelos delivered to Organon five proprietary targets identified using the PhysioLab technology. Three of those targets will be the focus of the partnership.

“This is a true partnership,” stated James Karis, president and CEO of Entelos. “The iterative and integrative approach with which Entelos and Organon scientists will collaborate across the discovery and development pipeline is a first for the industry.”

“We have been very pleased with the results of our three year partnership with Entelos,” said David Nicholson, Organon’s senior vice president of global research. “The transition from a strictly research effort to this co-development collaboration was the next step in our growing relationship.”