Synageva will receive $9 million up front under expanded deal.

Synageva BioPharma and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (MTPC) are expanding their rare disease agreement to develop a second protein therapeutic for an undisclosed orphan disease. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma will make an up-front payment of $9 million. Synageva will receive reimbursement for development costs, potential future development and commercial milestone payments, as well as royalties from product revenue.

The firms’ arrangement, as is the case under the original agreement, uses the Synageva Expression Platform, which is an integrated technology for protein production, processing, and purification. The companies first decided to work together in September 2011. That deal came with a $3 million up-front fee to Synageva and was framed on the development of a therapeutic for an undisclosed orphan disease.

Synageva is a clinical-stage company focused on protein therapeutics for rare diseases. Its lead program, SBC-102, is being developed as an enzyme-replacement therapy for lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) deficiency, a lysosomal storage disorder, and is a recombinant form of the human LAL enzyme. SBC-102 is currently being evaluated in global clinical trials and has been granted orphan designations by the FDA and EMA. Additionally, SBC-102 received fast track designation by the FDA.

“The synergy of Synageva’s innovative technologies and MTPC’s expertise in R&D of biologics will seek to create protein therapeutics that contribute to healthy life around the world,” comments Masayuki Mitsuka, board director, executive officer, global product strategy of MTPC.

Previous articleGE Healthcare, Dyax to Develop c-Met Imaging Peptides for Cancer
Next articleAlloCure Pockets $25M for Acute Kidney Injury Stem Cell Therapy