Pfizer and Arvinas to develop new protein-targeting drug candidates

Pfizer has announced a new drug research partnership with Arvinas, a biotechnology company focused on creating innovative therapies based on protein degradation.

The research collaboration and licence agreement will focus on the discovery and development of drug candidates using Arvinas' proprietary Protac platform, which is designed to create small molecule therapeutics to degrade disease-causing cellular proteins.

Protac offers potential improvements over traditional small molecule inhibitors by using the cell's natural and selective ubiquitin-proteasome system to remove target proteins directly rather than simply inhibiting them.

Multiple clinical candidates spanning a range of therapeutic areas will be created, with Arvinas to drive discovery efforts and Pfizer taking responsibility for the clinical development and commercialisation of any products that may come as a result of the collaboration.

Arvinas may receive up to $830 million (GBP 612.88 million) in upfront fees and milestone-based payments, in addition to tiered royalties based on global product sales.

Dr John Ludwig, head of medicinal sciences at Pfizer, said: "Protein degradation is an area of considerable interest for us, and we look forward to working with Arvinas to determine the potential applicability of this approach across multiple therapeutic areas."

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