Vertex will receive a $20 million up-front payment and could receive up to an additional $385 million in development and sales threshold milestone payments based on the development of VX-409 and back-up compounds in major pharmaceutical markets across a range of indications. GSK will also pay Vertex royalties on annual net sales.
“This is another example of GSK’s commitment to invest in external opportunities which complement our existing disease area expertise and maximize our development of innovative and best-in-class medicines to address unmet medical needs in key clinical areas,” commented Dr Jackie Hunter, senior vice president, Neurology and GI Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery, GSK.
VX-409 is a leading agent in a new class of investigational therapies targeting pain treatment through selective modulation of sodium channels in nerve cells. Specific sodium channels are involved in transmitting sensory input, including the transmission of pain signals to the central nervous system, making them attractive targets for new pain treatments.