Boehringer Ingelheim and Elan agree antibody partnership

Boehringer Ingelheim has allied with Elan to jointly develop a series of new antibody-based therapeutics.

The global technical development and manufacturing agreement will see Boehringer Ingelheim assume responsibility for the technical development, production and regulatory filing of several antibody treatments discovered by Elan.

Meanwhile, Elan will continue to take charge of the discovery, preclinical and clinical development and commercialisation phases of the treatments' creation.

Simon Sturge, corporate senior vice-president of the biopharmaceuticals division at Boehringer Ingelheim, said its expertise in drug manufacturing and the strength of its BI Hex platform make the new arrangements an "optimal fit" for the company.

"This is a first step in our new strategy engaging our technology platforms at a very early stage in product development. We look forward to working with the team at Elan," he explained.

Last month, Boehringer Ingelheim announced that it will be allying with Lilly to collaboratively create new therapies for diabetes.