Pfizer, Incyte ink inflammation deal
In a deal potentially worth $803 million to Wilmington, Delaware-based Incyte and New York City-based Pfizer signed, on November 21, an agreement to obtain worldwide development and commercialization rights to Incyte's oral chemokine receptor CCR2 agonists. The CCR2 is a key player in controlling chronic inflammation, making it a target for a variety of conditions. The pact is a little unusual in that it is focused on a particular class of conditions, says Michael Kayat, who is president of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based UTEK-EKMS, an intellectual property management and strategy firm. Such deals more typically encompass research platforms with wider applicability. Yet, he praises Incyte's patent protection. “The trick for a biotech is to have a very strong portfolio to get the best deal you can. Big pharma's core competency is market and sales. They have the ability to fund and manage phase 3 trials, but they really do not have strong core competency in innovation.” The deal includes an upfront payment of $40 million and grants rights to Incyte's portfolio of compounds, the most advanced of which is in phase 2a trials to treat rheumatoid arthritis and insulin-resistant obesity. Incyte retains the right to develop candidates for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. JK
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