Merck KGaA and Jerini in collaboration agreement
Merck KGaA and Berlin-based drug discovery and development company Jerini have entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors against an undisclosed target for oncology.
Merck KGaA and Berlin-based drug discovery and development company Jerini have entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors against an undisclosed target for oncology.
Prior to the agreement, Jerini identified novel proprietary small molecule lead series by applying its Peptides-to-Drugs (P2D) approach. Merck and Jerini are joining forces to further develop Jerini's compounds. Initiation of preclinical development is planned for 2005.
Under terms of the agreement, Jerini will receive an upfront payment, personnel funding, milestone payments, and royalties. Merck obtains worldwide rights for all indications in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and thyroid disorders. Jerini could receive in excess of €50m if the product is approved.
The market for new cancer therapeutics is large and growing. Current annual global spending on cancer therapeutics, estimated to be US$25bn, is expected to grow by around 3.5% annually over the next few years.
Jerini's proprietary P2D discovery platform addresses extra- and intra-cellular targets and was developed to overcome the limitations of conventional HTS or protein-based discovery approaches. P2D includes massive parallel syntheses and screening of peptide leads, pharmacophore identification and transformation into peptidomimetic and/or small molecule drugs.