Dynavax, GSK Select Clinical Candidate In Endosomal TLR Inhibitor Program

Dynavax and GSK said that the selected molecule has moved into advanced preclinical IND-enabling studies that could allow clinical development to begin as early as this year.

As per the collaboration, Dynavax has been conducting research primarily in the area of autoimmune and sterile inflammatory diseases. GSK has a right to exercise its exclusive option to license each program upon achievement of proof-of-concept or earlier upon certain circumstances.

After exercising its option, GSK is expected to carry out further development and commercialisation of these products. Dynavax will receive tiered royalties, up to double-digits, on sales and has retained an option to co-develop and co-promote one specified product.

Additionally, Dynavax has received an initial payment of $10m when the collaboration was announced in December 2008 in exchange for which GSK received an exclusive option over four programs targeting autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dynavax’s endosomal TLR inhibitors are a novel class of oligonucleotides, called immunoregulatory sequences (IRS), that specifically inhibit the TLR-induced inflammatory response associated with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.