Tularik and Sankyo Expand GPCR Drug Discovery Collaboration
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 2004--Tularik Inc. (Nasdaq:TLRK - News) today announced that Sankyo Company, Ltd. has expanded their collaboration to jointly discover and develophuman therapeutics that act on G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Sankyo expanded the existing collaboration by selecting up to four GPCR targets for further research for one year, resulting in additional financial support to Tularik. In December 2003, Sankyo selected a separate GPCR target for further research under the collaboration for up to four years.
Under the terms of the collaboration, the parties will share equally all clinical development costs and profits in the U.S. and Europe of compounds resulting from the collaboration. Tularik is entitled to milestone and royalty payments as such compounds progress through clinical trials to registration outside of the U.S. and Europe. Other financial terms were not disclosed.
"The expansion of our collaboration with Sankyo reflects the important biological roles of the promising GPCR targets that we have discovered," said Terry Rosen, Ph.D., Tularik's Executive Vice President, Operations. "The success of our partnership with Sankyo has exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to continued progress in the future."
About GPCRs
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are proteins that traverse the cell membrane seven times (also referred to as heptahelical receptors). These proteins regulate diverse biological functions including sight, taste and smell. Furthermore, GPCRs are involved in the regulation of inflammation, blood pressure, reproduction, digestion and appetite. Approximately one third of the top 100 drugs currently on the market act on GPCRs, including Claritin®, Cozaar® and Singulair®, which are the top three sellers targeting GPCRs. Drugs that target GPCRs generate more than $65 billion annually.
* (Source: MedAd News, May 2003)
About Sankyo
Sankyo Co., Ltd. is one of Japan's largest pharmaceutical companies with annual worldwide sales of $5 billion and over 11,500 employees. Sankyo has a long history of discovering new classes of drugs, including the statin class of lipid-lowering drugs with its discovery of the first statin, mevastatin, and pravastatin, the second statin therapy to be marketed globally. In addition, Sankyo developed and launched the first glitazone, which revolutionized long-term control of type 2 diabetes. Sankyo is continuously working toward new discoveries especially in the field of Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Obesity, Bones and Joints, Immune system related disorders and allergies. For more information, please visit www.sankyo.co.jp. |
