If license agreement is signed, Pfizer will advance mGluR agonist outside of Japan.

Taisho Pharmaceutical and Pfizer agreed to the terms of a proposed license agreement related to the former’s schizophrenia drug candidate TS-032.


Taisho will grant exclusive development and commercialization rights outside Japan for TS-032 to Pfizer. If the license agreement is signed, Taisho will receive from Pfizer an initial payment of $22 million. The company will also obtain milestone fees tied to progress of development as well as royalties and milestone payments on sales.


TS-032 is a mGluR (metabotropic glutamate receptor) agonist that may offer a new treatment option for CNS disorders, according to the companies. Data shows that mGluR agonists, such as TS-032, offer potential as new treatments for schizophrenia, they add.


Although the characteristics of mGluR are still only partly understood, it is believed to play a role in the transmission of glutamate and other substances in the brain. Abnormalities in the neurotransmission through mGluR may be one cause for symptoms related to schizophrenia as well as other CNS disorders.

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