| Press
Release
GlaxoSmithKline and Cellzome Announce
Major Strategic Alliance
Kinobeads™ technology to identify a new
generation of drug candidates for inflammatory diseases London,
United Kingdom, Philadelphia, Penn., Cambridge, United Kingdom
and Heidelberg, Germany, 10th September 2008 - Cellzome Inc.
and GlaxoSmithKline (LSE & NYSE: GSK) announce the signing
of a worldwide strategic alliance to discover, develop and
market novel kinase-targeted therapeutics to treat inflammatory
diseases.
The alliance gives GSK access to Cellzome’s
significant expertise in identifying and developing selective
kinase inhibitors and its proprietary Kinobeads™ technology
which, by screening compounds in a physiological setting,
is designed to improve the predictability of these drug candidates’
performance in clinical testing. Kinases are key molecular
switches in cellular signaling events with a central role
in many inflammatory responses and selective inhibitors offer
a different approach to therapeutic intervention in diseases
such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.
Under the agreement GSK has exclusive options
to license drug candidates from Cellzome’s kinase programs
directed against four identified targets, and three additional
targets to be jointly identified by both parties. In the
alliance, Cellzome will utilize its proprietary Kinobeads™
technology to discover novel small molecule inhibitors of
these targets, and then will develop the most promising product
candidates through to completion of a clinical proof of concept
trial, unless GSK elects to exercise its option earlier.
Cellzome is eligible to receive success-based milestones
from GSK as product candidates are advanced. Upon Cellzome’s
achievement of clinical proof of concept for a product candidate
for a particular kinase target, GSK would have an exclusive
option to license all product candidates from that program.
GSK would then assume full responsibility for further clinical
development and commercialization on a worldwide basis. Cellzome
retains the right to continue the development and commercialization
of drug candidates if GSK chooses not to exercise its option
to that program.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cellzome
will receive upfront payments of £14.4 million comprised
of both cash and equity. Cellzome is eligible for up to £118
million per program in potential development, regulatory
and commercial milestones and up to double digit royalties
on net sales of products resulting from the alliance.
Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, Ph.D, Senior
Vice President and Head of the Immuno-Inflammation Centre
of Excellence for Drug Discovery of GSK said: “GSK is committed
to becoming a world leader in immuno-inflammation drug discovery
by finding transformative medicines through internal efforts
and external collaborations. We are excited to be working
with Cellzome to discover and develop improved approaches
to existing biologic therapies which cannot access intracellular
signaling mechanisms. Cellzome’s Kinobeads™ technology will
provide a distinct advantage because it uses native kinases
directly isolated from human cells and tissues.”
Tim Edwards, CEO of Cellzome, said: “We
are very pleased to begin a strategic alliance with GSK,
one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical R&D companies.
This alliance is a significant endorsement of our leading
Kinobeads™ technology, programs and people. It is a major
event in Cellzome’s development, giving us the opportunity
to broaden our pipeline and progress several kinase programs
towards the clinic, ultimately for the benefit of patients.”
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