Boehringer obtains development and commercialisation rights to ZP2929 – Zealand Pharma’s glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonist drug candidate.
Under the agreement, Zealand Pharma will be responsible for conducting the first Phase I study with ZP2929 and Boehringer Ingelheim will fund the research, development and commercialisation of products.
Zealand Pharma is eligible to receive total projected payments of up to €376m for ZP2929 and may also receive additional payments if other products covered by the collaboration are advanced through development.
During the first two years of collaboration, Zealand Pharma is eligible to receive signature, milestone, and other payments of up to €41m including cost reimbursements and including research funding of up to €4m.
In their research collaboration, Zealand and Boehringer will focus on the characterization, identification and development of additional glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonists for the exploration of new indications, formulations and delivery systems.
Boehringer Ingelheim corporate senior vice president Klaus Dugi said with their first diabetes treatment linagliptin recently approved by the FDA, they have a manifest for Boehringer Ingelheim’s own research strength and its capability to bring medication to the patients.
"We are therefore pleased to bundle our R&D experience with Zealand Pharma for further projects in diabetes and obesity," Dugi said.