Boehringer extends Ablynx AD accord

Belgian drug developer Ablynx says that its Alzheimer's disease collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim is proceeding well and so the German family-owned drug major has extended R&D funding for another year.

Last year (Marketletter September 17, 2007), the firms entered an accord to discover, develop and commercialize up to 10 new drugs, based on Ablynx' Nanobody therapeutics technology. Earlier that year, the Belgian firm granted the Boehringer rights to use its technology in the development of an AD therapy in an agreement worth $265.0 million (Marketletter January 15, 2007).

The German firm will be solely responsible for the development, manufacture and commercialization of any products resulting from the accord. As part of the deal, Ablynx received an upfront fee and will receive development and commercial milestones as well as undisclosed royalties based on net sales. Nanobodies are a novel class of therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments being developed for a range of diseases.