Dublin, Ireland-based pharmaceutical company Allergan has historically been a leader in the development of therapies for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To help boost advancement in that area, the company has partnered with a Chinese start-up biotechnology company, Rugen Therapeutics, to develop innovative treatments for ASDs and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).
"Allergan is committed to finding breakthrough therapies in areas where there are limited treatment options," David Nicholson, the company's executive vice president of global brands research and development, said. "Autism spectrum disorders and OCD are areas of medicine where there continues to be a substantial amount of unmet need in identifying and developing treatments for the underlying mechanisms of disease."
Allergan, which also operates a facility in Irvine, California, will bring to its collaboration with Rugen its "Open Science" model. Rugen receives its funding through the F-Prime Biomedical Research Initiative (FBRI). Together, they will develop novel, small-molecule drug candidates.
The first steps in the joint research will be the development of early-stage compounds. Once therapies are developed, Rugen will receive development stage initiation and success-based milestone payments. Allergan will have the exclusive option to acquire all rights.
"Rugen was founded on the belief that recent advances in our fundamental understanding of psychiatric illnesses, led by genetic discoveries, will allow us to develop breakthrough therapeutics for devastating illnesses," Stacie Weninger, FBRI's executive director, said. "We are thrilled that Allergan, a global leader in the development and commercialization of treatments for CNS diseases, recognizes our scientific capabilities in neuroscience and the promise of the series of new molecules we discovered and developed at Rugen."
Allergan is a global, technology-driven health care company that pursues a variety of therapeutic advances.
