Both companies will contribute expertise and intellectual property relating to JAK3 inhibitors for the purpose of bringing compounds into the clinic. Novartis will assume responsibility for product development and commercialization. Cytopia has retained co-promotion rights for Australia and New Zealand.
JAK3 is a member of the JAK kinase family. JAK1 and JAK2 were discovered by Cytopia’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Andrew Wilks when at the Melbourne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Cytopia has become a world leader in the development of highly specific inhibitors for this class of enzymes.
Under the terms of the agreement Cytopia will receive payments from Novartis of approximately $9.5 million over three years including an upfront payment and research funding.
Over the life of the agreement Cytopia may become eligible to receive development, regulatory and sales milestones which could total approximately $205 million if an agreed number of multiple indications are successfully commercialized. Cytopia will also receive royalties on product sales.
“This deal is an important recognition of Cytopia’s internationally-leading position in the development of kinase inhibitors, particularly for the JAK family of kinases that are pivotal in the immune system,” said Dr Kevin Healey, Cytopia’s managing director and CEO. “We are delighted to be working with a company that is a global leader in transplantation, one of the major target areas for the alliance.”
Current therapies for transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis rely on drugs that also act on cells other than those of the immune system and in many cases cause severe side effects. JAK3 only occurs in cells of the immune system and so there is a strong possibility that JAK3-specific drugs offer a novel approach to treating these disorders with a potential reduction in side effects.