Allergan licenses inflammatory disorder treatment from AstraZeneca

Allergan has agreed a new licensing deal with AstraZeneca for MEDI2070, a new anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

An agreement between Allergan and AstraZeneca's global biologics research and development arm MedImmune will see Allergan gain global rights to MEDI2070, which is currently in phase IIb development for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease.

The drug is also phase II-ready for ulcerative colitis and other related conditions. Following this agreement, MedImmune will continue the ongoing MEDI2070 phase IIa study in Crohn's disease to completion, while transitioning the phase IIb study to Allergan for completion.

Allergan will make an upfront payment to AstraZeneca of $250 million (196.62 million pounds) for the exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialise MEDI2070. AstraZeneca may be eligible to receive up to $1.27 billion in milestone payments over the next 15 years.

David Nicholson, chief research and development officer at Allergan, said: "We look forward to bringing our significant clinical development and regulatory expertise to bear and maximising the potential benefit of this possible new treatment option for patients."

With over 20 years of experience within the pharmaceutical market, we at Zenopa have the knowledge, skills and expertise to help find the right job for you. To find out more about the current pharmaceutical roles we have available, you can search for the latest job roles, register your details, or contact the team today.