Ipsen puts US$1.8bn in pipeline expansion in movement disorders

Under the agreement, Skyhawk will provide its discovery platform for RNA-targeting small molecules across several therapeutic areas, including rare neurological diseases. Ipsen, which provided no financial details about the worldwide exclusive agreement, has the option to licence successful candidates for clinical development. Overall, the French pharma company is committing up to US$1.8bn bio-bucks, which include all milestone payments. Skyhawk will also be entitled to tiered royalties on marketed resulting from the partnership.

With the deal, Ipsen is aiming to expand its drug pipeline to treat movement disorders. At the core of Skyhawk’s platform is RNA splicing modification – a way to coax dysfunctional genes into producing functional proteins without altering them permanently..