Amgen licenses pain molecule to Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals

The terms of the agreement include a $50 million upfront payment, the potential for $385 million in success-based milestones and additional sales based milestones and royalties on sales.

The agreement provides Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals (OMJPI) with global rights to the product, but excludes Japan where Amgen has entered into a previous license agreement with respect to the compound. The OMJPI and its affiliates will be responsible for future development and commercialization of the compound, a fully human anti-nerve growth factor antibody.

Roger Perlmutter, executive vice president of R&D at Amgen, said: “OMJPI’s proven capabilities in developing and marketing pain therapeutics make them an ideal partner to bring this potentially important molecule to patients who suffer chronic pain.”