Wyeth Pharmaceuticals initiates Phase II and pays Ablynx another milestone in the TNF-alpha Nanobody collaboration

02-Oct-2009 - Belgium

Ablynx announced that it has reached a second milestone under the terms of its collaboration with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth. A milestone payment of $4 million has been triggered by the initiation by Wyeth of a first Phase II multiple dose study in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for a Nanobody® targeting tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

Wyeth entered into a Phase I study in healthy volunteers in December 2008 in the USA and Japan. Based on a successful conclusion of that study, where the Nanobody® was safe and well tolerated, Wyeth has today initiated a multiple dose Phase II study in RA patients. Ablynx entered into an exclusive research collaboration and license agreement with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in November 2006, a deal potentially worth $212.5 million for the successful development and commercialisation of multiple products. In addition, Ablynx is eligible to receive royalties on product sales. Wyeth has exclusive rights to develop and commercialise anti-TNF-alpha Nanobodies® developed under the collaboration. TNF-alpha is a key drug target in combating inflammation related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

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