ProThera Biologics, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that they have entered into a global licensing agreement to develop a novel plasma-derived Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins (IAIP) therapy for the treatment of acute inflammatory conditions.
Early research has indicated that this IAIP technology has the potential to deliver a highly innovative, disease-modifying treatment for a range of acute inflammatory diseases. In such conditions, dysregulated inflammation plays a key role in the pathology, and there are no effective treatments available today. IAIP are naturally occurring proteins that circulate in the blood, and extensive research at ProThera has shown that these proteins play an essential role in human health by controlling inflammation. They exert their anti-inflammatory effects through multiple mechanisms and have the potential to change the paradigm of treatment for patients with dysregulated immune responses. During acute illnesses, however, the levels of these anti-inflammatory proteins rapidly decline. A replenishment strategy for patients using Inter-alpha Inhibitors is supported by numerous preclinical studies.
“Our goal is to successfully treat patients with severe inflammatory conditions and this is now possible through our alliance with Takeda,” said Denice Spero, president and chief business officer of ProThera. “Takeda’s R&D expertise is well aligned with the potential uses of our Inter-alpha Inhibitor technology. We are delighted that Takeda and ProThera are collaborating and that Takeda shares our enthusiasm for tackling unmet medical needs.”
As part of the agreement, ProThera and Takeda will work together on IND-enabling activities, with development led by Takeda’s dedicated Plasma Derived Therapies R&D organization. The broad collaboration will also explore the development of companion diagnostics with the goal of personalizing patient treatment and maximizing real-world outcomes. Takeda will assume responsibility for funding all development and commercialization activities. The financial terms of the licensing agreement are not being disclosed.
“We believe ProThera’s expertise in IAIP technology represents a potentially powerful opportunity to explore the untapped potential of plasma in order to address challenging rare and complex diseases,” commented Dr. Chris Morabito, Takeda’s Head of Research and Development, Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit. “Leveraging this potent technology using our deep expertise and robust dedicated plasma infrastructure, this collaboration reflects our patient-centered R&D efforts and could represent an important new avenue to deliver meaningful innovation to patient populations in need.”
“ProThera is proud to join forces with a world-class company like Takeda to tackle a number of challenging diseases. Takeda is one of the leaders in plasma-derived therapies, and we are confident that this partnership may advance this promising therapeutic into the clinic,” said Dr. Yow-Pin Lim, co-founder and CEO of ProThera. “It has been a long journey to study these extraordinary proteins, and we are excited about the possibilities of achieving positive clinical outcomes.”