Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into an agreement with Simcere Pharmaceutical, a company based in Shanghai, to develop SIM0709, an investigational bispecific antibody for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The deal could be worth up to €1.058 billion, or about $1.26 billion, including upfront and milestone payments tied to development, regulatory approval, and commercial success.
SIM0709 is designed to target two key proteins involved in inflammation—TL1A and IL-23. According to the companies' announcement, this approach blocks "two core pathways that drive the onset and progression of IBD [inflammatory bowel disease]." The drug candidate is currently in pre-clinical development.
Under the terms of the partnership, Boehringer will have global rights to develop and commercialize SIM0709 outside Greater China. Simcere will receive royalties on net sales of the product outside China.
"In IBD, too many patients continue to progress and experience severe complications despite currently available anti-inflammatory therapies," said Carine Boustany, global head of Immunology and Respiratory Diseases at Boehringer. She added that SIM0709 is a "potential life changing option" for patients with IBD.
Brian Hilberdink, president of U.S. Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim, explained the company's strategy: "We don’t make the same level of headlines because we’re not buying things that are in late-stage development," he told BioSpace during an interview at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference earlier this month. "When you think about Pfizer and Novo going to battle over that obesity portfolio, that’s not the game that Boehringer wants to play."
Boehringer has been active in business development over the past year. In early January last year, it made two antibody-drug conjugate deals: one with Synaffix valued up to $1.3 billion and another with Oxford BioTherapeutics involving a fourth cancer target. In April last year, Boehringer agreed to pay up to $357 million in a partnership with Cue Biopharma for access to an experimental B cell depleter aimed at autoimmune conditions. Later in July, it committed $1 billion in collaboration with Re-Vana Therapeutics from the UK for extended-release eye disease therapies.
The company also expanded its activities in Asia by partnering with South Korea's AimedBio on an antibody-drug conjugate project worth up to $991 million; details on its specific use are still undisclosed.
