A major pharmaceutical deal was announced Sunday as GSK secured rights to innovative drug delivery technology from South Korean company ABL Bio, marking another step in GSK’s return to neurodegenerative disease research. The agreement, potentially worth over $2 billion, centers on ABL’s “Grabody-B” platform, which aims to overcome one of
neuroscience’s greatest challenges – getting medications across the blood-brain barrier.
The initial terms include approximately $98 million in upfront and near-term payments, with ABL Bio eligible for more than $2 billion in additional milestone payments tied to development, regulatory approvals, and commercial success. The technology leverages a protein that naturally transports growth hormone across the blood-brain barrier to deliver therapeutic agents to the brain.
This deal follows a similar arrangement between ABL Bio and Sanofi in 2022, which also focused on developing treatments for conditions like Parkinson’s disease. GSK plans to utilize the technology to create various therapeutic modalities, including antibodies, oligonucleotide therapies, and polynucleotides, though specific disease targets weren’t disclosed.
Christopher Austin, GSK’s senior vice president of research
technologies, emphasized the crucial need for new treatments in neurodegenerative diseases, noting that many promising antibody therapies currently face difficulties reaching the brain. He stated that this collaboration demonstrates GSK’s dedication to addressing this challenge and expanding treatment possibilities for these devastating conditions.
The agreement represents a significant milestone in GSK’s gradual return to brain disease research, a field it had previously abandoned along with many other pharmaceutical companies decades ago. While GSK’s current research primarily focuses on infectious diseases, cancer, and respiratory conditions, the company has been carefully stepping back into neuroscience through strategic partnerships.
This revival began in 2021 when GSK committed at least $700 million to acquire rights to two experimental drugs from Alector, a
California-based company, which were being tested in human trials for various neurodegenerative conditions. That same year, GSK established a partnership with the University of Oxford to create an institute focused on improving drug development processes, with an initial emphasis on brain diseases.
More recent developments include GSK’s collaborations with two startup companies to develop treatments for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The ABL Bio deal further cements GSK’s commitment to neuroscience research and development.
The challenge of delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier has long been a significant obstacle in developing effective treatments for neurological conditions. While this protective barrier is crucial for defending the central nervous system, it also presents a formidable challenge for drug developers trying to create therapies that can effectively reach the brain.
The Grabody-B platform represents a potential solution to this long-standing problem, offering a method to transport various therapeutic agents across this barrier. This technology could potentially open new avenues for treating a range of neurodegenerative diseases that currently have limited treatment options.
This latest deal reflects a broader trend in the pharmaceutical industry, with companies showing renewed interest in developing treatments for neurological conditions after years of limited investment in this area. The substantial financial commitment from GSK suggests growing confidence in new technological approaches to addressing these challenging diseases.
Be First to Comment