Aventis Pharma and Coley Pharmaceutical Group Sign Strategic Partnership
--Companies to Develop CpG Immunomodulatory Molecules as Novel Treatments for Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis--
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., and WELLESLEY, Mass., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventis Pharma (NYSE: AVE - news) and Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. have entered into a product development and licensing agreement for first-in-class asthma and allergic rhinitis products based on Coley's novel CpG immune modulators. The agreement provides Aventis with an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop proprietary CpG molecules in specified respiratory fields. Coley will receive substantial development and achievement milestone payments, and if the companies achieve their goal of successfully developing products for patients affected by these conditions, Coley will receive double-digit royalties on Aventis' product sales.
Under terms of the agreement, Aventis receives from Coley rights to Coley's CpG 9328, the company's lead allergic disease product, and up to three additional oligonucleotides identified using Coley's Human Cell Screening (HCS) technology. Aventis' exclusive, worldwide license covers use of these CpG molecules for therapeutic or preventive applications in asthma and allergic rhinitis.
``This collaboration gives Aventis the opportunity to bring first-in-class asthma and allergic rhinitis drugs to the market,'' said Errol de Souza, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of U.S. Drug Innovation & Approval at Aventis Pharma. ``Moreover, because these products show promise in both moderating and redirecting hypersensitive immune responses, we believe they may provide an important therapeutic advantage by treating the root cause of allergic diseases. These CpG immune modulators thus are expected to allow Aventis to advance our leadership position in the respiratory market.''
``This agreement with Aventis, a world leader in the respiratory field, further validates the potential of Coley's immune modulators to treat a wide range of human diseases,'' said Robert L. Bratzler, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Coley Pharmaceutical Group. ``We are pleased to be working with Aventis, a company with the resources, experience and presence to develop next generation products for the $12 billion asthma and allergy market. This collaboration advances our corporate strategy of licensing our respiratory products to a global market leader in order to speed commercialization.'' Dr. Bratzler added, ``Coley will use the early proceeds received from this arrangement to expand our core program in CpG-based cancer therapeutics.''
CpG immune modulators are a novel class of molecules that activate the human immune system to fight disease. Coley's product platform consists of proprietary synthetic oligonucleotide sequences that have been optimized to treat specific diseases. Certain CpG molecules have been designed to redirect asthmatic or allergic immune responses into more normal responses before airway inflammation and bronchial spasm can occur. Alternatively, other CpG molecules have been designed to provide anticancer or anti-infective activity. Coley's patent portfolio consists of 43 U.S. patents and patent applications and their foreign counterparts, including seven issued U.S. patents.
CpG Utility in Allergic Disease
Unlike conventional allergy and asthma drugs, which treat only symptoms, CpG molecules offer promising new approaches to treating asthma and allergic rhinitis that address the underlying cause of these diseases. CpG molecules work by a novel mechanism that orchestrates fundamental modifications in immune system responses at the top of the inflammatory cascade and ``redirects'' pre-existing hypersensitive immune reactions into more normal responses. CpG does this by simultaneously suppressing allergic (Th2-type) immune responses that can result in airway inflammation and bronchial spasm, and inducing more normal (Th1-type) immune responses that promote non-allergic antibody and cellular responses.
In preclinical studies, CpG-based products have been shown to be long lasting and have demonstrated the ability to help prevent airway remodeling associated with chronic symptoms, offering the potential to alter the effects of allergic and asthmatic disease. CpG molecules have also reversed, in murine models of asthma, inflammation and airway constriction following exposure to environmental allergens. These data suggest a role for CpG immune modulators in treating both chronic and seasonal hypersensitivity disorders.
About Coley
Coley Pharmaceutical Group discovers, develops and commercializes CpG molecules, a novel class of drugs that activate the immune system to fight cancer, asthma, allergy and infectious diseases. The company's lead product, ProMune (TM), is in Phase I/II clinical trials for several cancer indications. Coley currently has nine Phase I/II clinical trials ongoing, and has established a novel human cell screening discovery platform to rapidly validate new product candidates. Coley is a private company with headquarters in the United States and research and development operations in Germany and Canada. For further information, please visit www.coleypharma.com. |
