Orion signs agreement for Aurigene’s Pan BET, selective BET Bromodomain inhibitors

As part of the option deal, Aurigene will receive an upfront payment from Orion, followed by a licensing fee, milestones and royalties upon exercising the option at the candidate selection stage for the BET inhibitors.

The deal will see Orion collaborate with Aurigene and fund the selective BET program, while Aurigene is also eligible for development phase milestones and royalties.

Aurigene CEO CSN Murthy said the company has focused on the Epigenetics space over the last few years, and is happy to partner its lead programs with Orion.

"We are sure that Orion, with its deep expertise in Oncology, is the right partner to further develop these assets," Murthy said.

Orion head of Oncology and Critical Care Research Pekka Kallio said both the companies have worked together in a number of programs over the past several years, with some of the early collaborations expected to reach the clinical development phase soon.

"Aurigene’s ability to work closely with our Scientific teams, in this exciting area of cancer therapy, will add value to Orion’s pipeline," Kallio said.

The Indian biotech firm Aurigene has been working in the Bromodomain space, to develop pan-BET and selective BET therapeutics, for over two years now.

The company’s BET inhibitors, developed from a new chemotype, have showed a unique binding mode leading to a differentiated pharmacological profile that may provide a superior therapeutic window.