AstraZeneca has fortified its participation in the GLP-1 agonist race with an exclusive licence agreement with clinical-stage biotech company Eccogene to develop and commercialise ECC5004, a small molecule GLP-1 agonist (GLP-1RA).
As part of the agreement, Eccogene will receive a $185m upfront payment, with potential future payments of up to $1.82bn based on clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, along with royalty payments.
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Astrazeneca gains exclusive rights to develop and commercialise ECC5004 globally, excluding China, where Eccogene and Astrazeneca will collaborate for co-development and co-commercialisation.
In June of this year, Eccogene raised $25.23m (CNY180m) in a Series B financing round to support the development of its clinical-stage metabolic pipeline, including ECC5004.
ECC5004 is a once-daily, oral GLP-1RA which is currently in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and other comorbidities. GLP-1 inhibitors are a class of drugs developed for weight management and the treatment of T2D. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk currently dominate the obesity drug market, with GLP-1 inhibitors Zepbound and Wegovy respectively.
Eli Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide) gained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 8 November for the treatment of obesity. According to GlobalData, Zepbound is forecast to generate $27bn in sales by 2029.
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By GlobalDataWegovy gained FDA approval in June 2021. Novo Nordisk has made Dkr21.7bn ($3bn) so far this year from with Wegovy, as per the company’s 2023 quarterly results, and as per GlobalData, is estimated to generate $12bn in sales by 2029.
GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.
AstraZeneca bioPharmaceuticals R&D EVP Sharon Barr said: “Building on the promising Phase I clinical data generated by Eccogene, we believe this oral GLP-1RA molecule could offer alternatives to current injectable therapies both as a potential monotherapy as well as in combination for cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, as well as for obesity.”
