AstraZeneca

How many partners does AstraZeneca have? Like many other pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca does not reveal its exact number of partners. The company’s Annual Report for 2008, however, indicates that it completed over 40 major externalisation deals in the last two years. This included the acquisitions of MedImmune and Arrow Therapeutics in 2007, as well as numerous smaller deals. Overall the company has over 300 discovery collaborations/partnerships to access new science and technology platforms. According to AstraZeneca’s Annual Report for 2008 the company had 15 partnered products in its development pipeline for January 2009. This equaled fifteen percent of its total products. How does AstraZeneca source its partners? AstraZeneca has a department of Global Discovery Alliances which takes responsibility for all external research collaborations across the discovery division with both biotech companies and academia. The company also has a Science and Technology Alliances team that works across therapeutic areas and functions to identify, evaluate and secure opportunities in key areas of technology. In addition AstraZeneca has a separate US Business Development and Innovation team that leads the sourcing and evaluation of external opportunities to boost US business. A Personalized Healthcare team within AstraZeneca also evaluates and facilitates diagnostic partnerships for drug project teams within AstraZeneca. Some of AstraZeneca’s partners: Abbott, Abraxis BioScience, Argenta, Astex, Astellas, Avanir, Astex Therapeutics, BioDuro, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Cell Signaling Technology, Inc, ChemBridge Corporation, ChemBridge Research Laboratories Inc, Columbia University Medical Center, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Dynavax Technologies, MAP Pharmaceuticals, Mayo Clinic, Nektar Therapeutics, Palatin Technologies, Pozen, PsychoGenics, Silence Therapeutics, Targacept, UCB, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Virginia Tech, Washington State University St Louis. What collaborations has AstraZeneca entered into over the past few years? * In September 2009 PsychoGenics and AstraZeneca entered into a drug discovery and development agreement to identify compounds that are likely to be useful for the treatment of Central Nervous System disorders. Under the agreement, PsychoGenics will use its drug discovery technologies to evaluate a number of AstraZeneca drug candidates for their potential to treat psychiatric disorders. PsychoGenics is to receive research payments and milestones commensurate with the stage of development, as well as royalties on any future sales. * In September 2009 AstraZeneca and Nektar Therapeutics entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement for two drug development programmes: NKTR-118, a late stage investigational product being evaluated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation, and the NKTR-119 programme, an early stage programme that is intended to deliver products for the treatment of pain without constipation side effects. Both programmes were developed by Nektar, utilising their proprietary small molecule advanced polymer conjugate technology platform. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca has responsibility for the continued development of both programmes, including the initiation of late-stage clinical studies for NKTR-118 and for the global manufacturing and marketing for both programmes. Under the agreement, Nektar received an upfront payment of US$ 125 million for both NKTR-118 and NKTR-119. * In September 2009 UCB and AstraZeneca entered into a partnership to register and commercialise UCB’s PEGylated anti-TNF alpha drug Cimzia® (certolizumab pegol) in Brazil. The drug is to be registered for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. In partnership with UCB, AstraZeneca has the right to distribute future new line extensions related to Cimzia® and UCB retains the right to co-promote Cimzia® as well as future line extensions in Brazil. * In August 2009 AstraZeneca KK, the Japanese subsidiary of AstraZeneca PLC, and Astellas Pharma Inc signed a co-promotion alliance agreement for the inhalant combination drug of buedesonide and formoterol for the treatment of bronchial asthma in Japan. AstraZeneca KK is to manufacture and develop the drug while Astellas is to distribute and sell it. Both companies will co-promote the drug. Under the agreement AstraZeneca received ¥3.0 billion upfont and is to receive milestone payments of up to ¥5.5 billion depending on the achievement of certain sales and approval of an additional indication by the Japanese authority. * In May 2009 AstraZeneca began an alliance with Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology, the charity’s development and commercialisation arm, to further the clinical development of a potential anti-cancer compound from AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca’s AZD0424, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the first drug to enter the charity’s Clinical Development Partnerships programme (launched in 2006). Under the terms of the agreement AstraZeneca retains its rights to the compound. The Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office will conduct the clinical trials at no cost to AstraZeneca. In addition, AstraZeneca retains the option to assume further development and marketing of the drug, with the charity receiving a share of any revenues. * In March 2009 Astra Zeneca and BioDuro expanded their research collaboration to optimize discovery research for respiratory and inflammation indications. * In Feburary 2009 AstraZeneca licensed a portfolio of preclinical Triple Reuptake Inhibitor compounds for depression from Virginia Tech and Mayo Clinic. The agreement provided AstraZeneca with a global license for all uses of the compounds, as well as exclusive manufacturing and commercial rights. It also established a research collaboration to focus on jointly generating additional novel TRI compounds. * In December 2008 AstraZeneca entered an exclusive worldwide agreement with MAP Pharmaceuticals to develop and commercialise Unit Dose Budesonide (UDB), MAP Pharmaceuticals’ proprietary nebulised formulation of budesonide to treat paediatric asthma. In July 2009, however, AstraZeneca terminated its license agreement because the drug did not meet primary endpoints in a Phase III trial in children 12-months to eight years of age with mild asthma. All rights to the drug reverted to MAP, who planned to suspend development of UDB. * In October 2008 AstraZeneca and Columbia University Medical Center began a new research collaboration to examine how neurogenesis – the creation of new neuronal cells – in adults might offer novel approaches to treating depression and anxiety. * In June 2008 AstraZeneca and Columbia University Medical Center entered a strategic research collaboration for metabolic disease. * In April 2008 AstraZeneca and Washington University in St Louis began an alliance to investigate Alzheimer’s disease. * In March 2007 AstraZeneca started a research collaboration with Silence Therapeutics which it extended in 2008. The alliance focuses on the development of a range of novel approaches for the delivery of siRNA molecules. Under the terms of the agreement both Silence Therapeutics and AstraZeneca will be allowed to commercialise the truly novel delivery systems that they develop together. * In January 2007 AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers-Squibb agreed to a worldwide collaboration to develop and commercialise two investigational compounds being studied for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Both compounds were discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb: Saxagliptin and Dapagliflozin. In February 2009 the two companies expanded their worldwide collaboration to include Japan in their development and commercialisation of Dapagliflozin. * In January 2007 AstraZeneca entered a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Palatin Technologies to discover, develop and commercialise compounds that target melanocortin receptors for treatment of obesity and related indications. In 2009 the agreement was amended whereby AstraZeneca agreed to make a US$2.5 million payment upon signing and, subject to completion of certain tasks relating to the programme, US$2.5 million in the first quarter of calendar year 2010. Palatin is eligible for milestone payments totaling US$5 million in connection with the collaboration and license agreement. * In January 2007 AstraZeneca began an early stage collaboration with Argenta aimed at identifying improved bronchodilators to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Argenta received US$21 million upfront and is entitled to further committed research funding, pre-clinical, development, regulatory and sales milestone payments worth up to US$500 million. Royalties are also payable to Argenta dependent upon certain sales thresholds being achieved. The alliance involves a team of scientists from the two companies working together to identify long acting muscarinic antagonists and dual acting muscarinic antagonist-2 agonist candidate drugs. AstraZeneca is to decide whether such candidate drugs will be developed as once daily, inhaled mono or combination therapies. AstraZeneca is responsible for the development and worldwide commercialisation of products arising out of the collaboration. * In December 2006 AstraZeneca entered into a license agreement with Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc for the development and commercialisation of the antibiotic Cubicin® (daptomycin for injection) in China and certain other countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa not covered by existing Cubicin international partnering agreements. The agreement does not include Japan. In exchange for development and commercialisation rights, AstraZeneca paid Cubist US$ 10.25 million cash upfront. Cubist is to receive additional payments on reaching regulatory and sales milestones. * In December 2006 AstraZeneca and Cell Signaling Technology Inc began an alliance whereby CST would employ its proprietary rabbit monoclonal antibody (RmAb) technologies to develop high specificity and high affinity RmAbs to AstraZeneca oncology targets. * In September 2006 AstraZeneca began a partnership with Dynavax Technologies Corporation to develop new TLR-9 agonist-based therapies for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Under the agreement Dynavax could receive up to US$136 million, of which US $10 million is an upfront payment and US$27 million is for research and clinical milestone payments. * In August 2006 AstraZeneca entered into a collaboration with Pozen Inc to develop a fixed dose combination of enteric coated naproxen and immediate release esomeprazole for chronic pain (PN400), utilising POZEN’s proprietary technology. Worth a total of US$375 million the deal includes US$ 40 million upfront, US$ 160 million for development and regulatory milestones, and another US$175 million for sales milestones. The deal also includes tiered royalties ranging from the mid-single digits to the mid-teens. In June 2009 Pozen Inc submitted a New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration for VIMOVO (PN400) (enteric coated naproxen /esomeprazole magnesium) tablets, a product under investigation for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in patients who are at risk of developing NSAID-associated ulcers. If the NDA filing fis accepted Pozen is to receive a $10 million milestone payment from AstraZeneca. * In July 2006 AstraZeneca entered an agreement with Abbott for the co-development and co-commercialisation of Abbott’s next-generation fenofibrate (ABT-335) and Crestor in a single pill, fixed-dose combination treatment to target three major blood lipids. The aim of the collaboration is to co-develop and market a combination treatment that will target three important blood lipids in one single pill as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen for mixed lipid disorders. * In April 2006 AstraZeneca signed an agreement with Abraxis BioScience Inc to co-promote Abraxane® for Injectable Suspension in the US, and signed over AstraZeneca’s US anaesthetics and analgesic products to Abraxis BioScience. Abraxane® is a novel, albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel which has potential to treat several tumour types including Non Small Cell Lung, Ovarian, Prostate, Adjuvant Breast, Melanoma, Head and Neck and Upper GI Cancers. The deal gave AstraZeneca access to the US chemotherapy market and extended its oncology product portfolio.