PeptiDream Announces Discovery Collaboration Agreement With Janssen

On Apr 11, 2017

PeptiDream Inc., a public Tokyo-based biopharmaceutical company announced today that it has entered into a multi-target discovery and optimization collaboration with US-based Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Janssen”), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). Under the agreement, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, PeptiDream will use its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System (PDPS) technology to identify macrocyclic/constrained peptides against multiple metabolic and cardiovascular targets of interest selected by Janssen, and to optimize hit peptides into therapeutic peptides or small molecule products. Janssen also holds an exercisable option to peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) use and applications. Janssen will have the right to develop and commercialize all compounds resulting from the collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement, PeptiDream would receive an undisclosed upfront payment and research funding and is eligible to receive preclinical, clinical, and commercialization milestone payments potentially totaling up to $1.15 billion. In addition, PeptiDream is eligible to receive royalties on sales of any products that arise from the collaboration.

Over the past seven years, PeptiDream has established funded discovery collaborations with 16 of the leading pharmaceutical companies; Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Daiichi Sankyo, Merck, Sanofi, Teijin, Kyorin, Ipsen, Genentech, Shionogi, and Asahi Kasei all of which are active and ongoing. In addition, PeptiDream has transferred its PDPS discovery platform for broad use to Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Novartis, Lilly, and Genentech.

Comment from Kiichi Kubota, CEO and President of PeptiDream Inc

“Over the past few years PeptiDream has greatly expanded our ability to turn PDPS-identified peptide candidates into peptide therapeutics, small molecule drugs, and peptide drug conjugates (PDCs), and we greatly look forward to working with a world-renowned organization like Janssen to leverage these capabilities to discover and development the next generation of first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics.”