Exelixis, Boehringer enter $354M autoimmune pact

South San Francisco-based Exelixis has signed a potential $354 million collaboration agreement with Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim to discover, develop and commercialize autoimmune disease therapies. Exelixis will receive a $15 million upfront payment and up to $339 million in milestone payments.

The deal covers the discovery of sphingosine-1-phosphate type 1 receptor (S1P1) agonists. The S1P1 receptor is a central mediator of multiple pathways implicated in a variety of autoimmune diseases. The two companies will share responsibility and costs for discovery activities; after that, Boehringer Ingelheim will handle all pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, commercial and manufacturing activities.

"This collaboration highlights Exelixis' ability to leverage our discovery capabilities and early-stage pipeline," said Exelixis CEO George Scangos. "Our S1P1 agonist program has identified multiple analogs with potent in vivo activity. With this collaboration, we have the opportunity to transition the program to a partner with a track record of success in developing and commercializing autoimmune disease therapies while strengthening our financial position."

- check out this announcement for more

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