Under the terms of the agreement, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical will license several lead series of compounds identified by Amphora that are focused on a widely recognized inflammation target for which a successful therapy has not yet been identified.
North Carolina-based Amphora will grant Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical exclusive rights to the existing compounds as well as new compounds discovered during the collaboration. Ortho-McNeil’ Pharmaceutical’s affiliate, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D, will further develop the licensed compounds and provide research support to Amphora.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but include research support payments, an up-front licensing fee and the possibility of milestone payments and royalties for compounds developed under the collaboration.