As part of the agreement, Bayer will gain exclusive access to novel molecules from Curadev to develop drugs targeting lung, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.
Renowned German drug manufacturer Bayer will collaborate with Curadev, which is an Indian small molecule drug discovery company. Together the companies are going to develop new drugs to target lung-related diseases, along with cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The Indian company's Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) antagonist platform will be used for the collaboration and licensing of the deal.
According to the terms of the agreement, Curadev will be receiving an upfront payment. An upfront payment is a method of transaction in which a client pays for part, or sometimes all, of a project or commission before it is completed. The company will also receive funding during the research term and is expected to be eligible for pre-clinical, clinical and sales milestones of over 250 million euro and single-digit royalties as a percentages of net sales.
Meanwhile, Bayer will capture an exclusive access to fresh molecules from Curadev that are specially designed to impede the STING pathway. The companies will also collaborate to optimize and enhance these molecules along with others generated molecules during the collaboration into clinical development.
Speaking of the collaboration, Dr. Joerg Moeller, Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer AG's Pharmaceuticals said, “In line with our strategy, we continue to deepen our understanding of pathology in disease areas with high unmet medical need and further strengthen our research activities on mechanisms with broader potential, rather than individual indications.”
STING antagonists help in inhibiting or stopping the STING pathway and offer immense potential for new treatments. STING plays a crucial role in activating the immune system that a person already has while they are caught by any auto-inflammatory diseases.
