Sosei announces $1.2bn R&D collaboration with Abbvie

The strategic collaboration leverages Sosei Heptares’ StaR technology and structure-based drug design platform and AbbVie’s extensive neuroscience expertise and complements  the companies’ 2020 agreement focused on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Under the agreement, Sosei Heptares receives an upfront payment of US$40m on signing and is eligible to receive up to US$40m in near-term research milestone payments expected over the next three years, as well as further potential option, development and commercial milestones totalling up to US$1.2bn, plus tiered royalties on global sales.

The option-to-license agreement is about discover, develop and commercialise small molecules that modulate novel G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets associated with neurological disease.  Sosei Heptares will conduct and fund R&D activities through the completion of Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies. AbbVie has the exclusive option to license up to three programs at this stage and will have responsibility for clinical, regulatory and commercial development thereafter.