Chugai announced co-development agreement for ITM-077

Chugai Pharmaceutical has announced an agreement with Teijin Pharma for the development of an antidiabetic drug from Ipsen known as ITM-077.

Prior to this agreement, Teijin has been the sole firm conducting the development of ITM-077, with the firm now expressing hopes that this deal with Chugai will facilitate a speedier development of the compound and hasten regulatory approval for the drug.

In October 2003, Roche – a strategic alliance partner of Chugai – obtained an option right for the development and commercialisation of ITM-077 worldwide, with the firm exercising this option in July 2006 and licensing these rights to Chugai in December.

ITM-077 is a long-acting analogue of peptide hormone of glucagons-like peptide-1, used to boost the level of insulin as a response to elevated glucose levels in the body in order to lower the risk of hypoglycaemia.

“Chugai is now committed to smoothly start the development of ITM-077 (R1583) in Japan by closely working with Teijin,” the companies report.

Chugai forecasts that ITM-077 will provide a novel treatment option for patients with type two diabetes if clinical trials affirm the safety and efficacy of the drug.

In August 2006, a report claimed that diabetes patients are better managed in the UK than they are in the US as a result of universal access to healthcare.