Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will continue research funding to Orexo in the OX-MPI project. Boehringer Ingelheim holds exclusive rights to all further compound development and marketing, except in the Nordic and Baltic regions, where Boehringer Ingelheim and Orexo will co-promote potential products developed.
This acts as an extension to the original agreement between the two companies dating from 2005; the deal has a total potential value of E250 million in milestones to Orexo excluding royalties.
The collaboration is focused on the development of a drug which specifically inhibits the enzyme prostaglandin E synthase to reduce the production of PGE2, an endogenous substance that is central to various inflammatory processes.
The research collaboration is a part of an exclusive worldwide license to develop and market a new class of drugs with a novel mechanism of action for the treatment of pain and inflammation.
Torbjorn Bjerke, president and CEO of Orexo, said: “We are delighted to extend the excellent collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, a global player with expertise in the inflammatory pain area and a very committed partner. The medical need in the area of pain and inflammation is considerable and this collaboration has the potential to answer the patients’ and physicians’ need for a new treatment that is both safe and efficacious.”