Dive Brief:
- Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Denmark-based Zealand Pharma have agreed to work together to develop therapies for cardio-metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.
- The deal spans four and a half years and focuses on the discovery and development of peptide-based therapeutic candidates.
- Zealand will provide its preclinical expertise in discovering peptide-based drugs, while BI will fund development and commercialization.
Dive Insight:
Under the terms of the agreement, Zealand has the potential to receive $396 million in milestone payments for the first compound developed and brought to market. Zealand will also receive ongoing funding and tiered royalties from Boehringer.
Although BI retains most of the marketing rights for the therapies, Zealand will have co-commercialization rights in Scandanavia. In summer 2011, the two companies entered a separate agreement to develop peptide-based therapies for the treatment of type II diabetes. The collaboration has gone well, and the two companies seem committed to continuing to work together.