Pieris to collaborate with Allergan on developing agents for treating eye problems
German biopharmaceutical company Pieris is to collaborate with US-based Allergan to combine its proprietary Anticalin technology with Allergan's expertise in drug delivery and ophthalmic drugs to develop agents for the treatment of ocular disorders.
German biopharmaceutical company Pieris is to collaborate with US-based Allergan to combine its proprietary Anticalin technology with Allergan's expertise in drug delivery and ophthalmic drugs to develop agents for the treatment of ocular disorders.
Pieris has granted Allergan a worldwide exclusive licence for specific Anticalins to be used in the field and in return will receive an upfront payment of US$10m. Further financial terms were not disclosed.
Allergan will be responsible for all discovery, development, and commercialisation costs and handle clinical development and commercialisation.
Pieris is developing Anticalins for the treatment of a variety of disorders. They are based on naturally occurring proteins called lipocalins, which are present in human plasma and body fluids where they function to bind, store and transport various small molecules including lipids and hormones.
Anticalins possess multiple distinguishing features, including a high degree of stability. They are small (20kDa) and produced in micro-organisms, thus giving conferring significant cost benefits to the production of the therapeutic agent.
