Wyeth said these extended half-life proteins will be designed to enhance patient convenience as they will reduce the number and frequency of treatments needed.
As part of the agreement, Nautilus Biotech will apply its proprietary technology to improve the duration of action of recombinant hemophilia B therapy. The Nautilus Biotech technology makes minimal and specific changes to amino acids sequences in order to slow the breakdown of the protein in the body.
“This research partnership enhances Wyeth’s presence in biopharmaceuticals and builds upon our history of innovation in hemophilia research,” said Cavan Redmond, executive vice president, BioPharma Business Unit at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Under the terms of this agreement, Wyeth will develop, manufacture and market products derived from the collaborative research. Nautilus Biotech will receive an upfront payment, research and development fees and milestone payments from Wyeth.
People with hemophilia are deficient in one of the key proteins – either Factor VIII (hemophilia A) or Factor IX (hemophilia B) – that are vital in the clotting cascade to prevent bleeding. Patients with hemophilia A or hemophilia B are dependent on protein replacement therapy with Factor VIII or Factor IX, for life.