PeptiDream Announces New Peptide Drug Conjugate Collaboration Agreement with Novartis

PeptiDream Inc., a public Kanagawa-based biopharmaceutical company announced a new Peptide Drug Conjugate “PDC” collaboration agreement with Swiss-based Novartis. Under the agreement, PeptiDream will use its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System (PDPS) technology for the identification of novel macrocyclic/constrained peptides for use as PDCs against multiple targets of interest selected by Novartis. Novartis will have exclusive rights to the program peptides for radionuclide payloads/conjugates and certain small molecule payloads/conjugates, for both therapeutic and diagnostic uses.

Under the terms of the agreement, PeptiDream will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, R&D funding payments, and is eligible to receive additional pre-clinical, clinical, approval, and commercial sales milestones, as well as royalties on future sales of any commercialized products resulting from the collaboration.

The long standing macrocyclic peptide discovery alliance between the companies was originally initiated in 2012 and has been extended/amended/expanded multiple times since, including a non-exclusive license to PeptiDream’s PDPS technology in 2015.

[Comment from Patrick Reid, CEO of PeptiDream Inc]
“We are extremely excited to be working with Novartis on peptide drug conjugates, specifically on peptide-radionuclide conjugates, in which Novartis is one of the leading companies in the space. Our macrocyclic/constrained peptides are ideal for the delivery of conjugated payloads, either therapeutic or diagnostic, specifically to the targeted cells/tissues and we believe this partnership has the potential to bring a number of first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics and their companion diagnostics to patients worldwide.”