Merck Serono acquires exclusive rights to Apitope’s multiple sclerosis therapeutic

Licensing agreement

Apitope Technology, a spin-out from the University of Bristol, UK, is to collaborate with multiple sclerosis therapy specialist Merck Serono, Germany, to develop and commercialise ATX-MS-1467, one of its proprietary Apitopes (Antigen Processing Independent epiTOPES), a peptide therapeutic that prevents multiple sclerosis (MS) by inducing tolerance of T-cells to disease-causing autoantigens.

Under the terms of the agreement Merck Serono will have exclusive rights to commercialise ATX-MS-1467 and Apitope will receive an upfront payment of up to €154 million to cover development costs and commercialisation milestone payments. Apitope will also be granted royalties on the net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.

Initial research and development of ATX-MS-1467 will be undertaken by Apitope, however Merck Serono will take overall responsibility for product development at the beginning of Phase II clinical trials, and continue funding Apitope for research on other MS specific peptide therapeutics.

Bernhard Kirschbaum, of Merck Serono, said: “This partnership with Apitope strengthens our position as a leader in the field of innovative research and development in multiple sclerosis. ATX-MS-1467 represents a novel, targeted approach and may have the potential to complement existing MS drugs by offering a novel mode of action. By applying our existing stratified medicine approaches, we will also identify those MS patients who should benefit most from this potential treatment.”

Keith Martin, of Apitope, said: “We are very pleased that ATX-MS-1467 has attracted a major pharmaceutical partner such as Merck Serono with extensive experience and leadership in the development of therapies for multiple sclerosis. We view this collaboration as confirmation of Apitope's ability to develop early-stage first-in-class therapies for autoimmune diseases. In addition to continuing to build our in-house diagnostic platform in MS, we look forward to progressing ATX-MS-1467 with Merck Serono.”