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June 13, 2018 Bioscience Notebook

Alexion inks $16.5M deal to develop neuro drug with Amsterdam startup

Photo | Contributed An aerial view of Alexion's New Haven headquarters.
By Natalie Missakian

New Haven biotech Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. will partner with a startup in the Netherlands on a new drug to treat degenerative brain disorders.

  

Alexion on Monday announced a deal with Amsterdam-based Complement Pharma to co-develop CP010, a drug it says has the potential to treat a variety of central nervous system diseases.

Under the agreement, Alexion will pay Complement Pharma up to €14 million ($16.5 million) based on certain milestones. The deal also gives Alexion the option to buy the company, founded in 2017.

Like Alexion, Complement Pharma develops drugs that target the complement system, a part of the immune system that destroys and removes foreign particles. Research shows the system can be over-activated in people with certain diseases.

Alexion’s blockbuster drug Soliris, which treats a rare blood disease, inhibits a component of the complement system known as C5, while Complement Pharma’s drug targets C6, a different component.

“This collaboration provides an exciting opportunity to expand on our more than two decades of complement expertise to potentially treat additional diseases,” said Dr. John Orloff, Alexion’s executive vice president and head of research and development.

Complement Pharma is responsible for preclinical and Phase 1 studies as well as manufacturing the drug, Alexion said.

The partnership is Alexion’s latest move to diversify its rare-disease drug pipeline.

It recently closed on an $855 million deal to acquire Swedish biopharma Wilson Therapeutics. That company has developed a drug to treat Wilson Disease, which prevents the body from eliminating copper properly.

Alexion plans to move its headquarters to Boston this summer but will retain a major research presence in the Elm City.

Reach Natalie Missakian at news@newhavenbiz.com

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