AstraZeneca licenses rare disease therapy to Mereo BioPharma

AstraZeneca has agreed to license a new treatment for a rare respiratory disorder to Mereo BioPharma, a British company focused on rare and specialty diseases.

The exclusive licence pertains to AZD9668, an oral inhibitor of neutrophil elastase that has shown potential as a treatment for the orphan disease alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). The contract includes an option to acquire the therapy.

Mereo BioPharma plans to conduct a phase II study for the treatment of AATD, a congenital condition that can cause severe debilitating conditions such as chronic liver disease, but is most notably associated with pulmonary emphysema.

A substantive clinical data package available from studies in linked respiratory diseases has already shown the strong safety, tolerance and efficacy performance of the compound among around 1,000 patients.

Kumar Srinivasan, vice-president of scientific partnering and alliances at AstraZeneca, said: "This transaction reaffirms AstraZeneca's commitment to patients by repositioning an asset into an orphan indication with a high unmet need. We will continue to divest or out-license deprioritised assets where we believe it will help accelerate the development of new medicines."

The deal will also see AstraZeneca become the latest large pharmaceutical company to own shares in Mereo, which also counts Novartis among its shareholders.

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