Takeda to collaborate with Archemix on aptamers

Takeda Pharmaceutical has announced that it has signed a three-target agreement relating to the discovery, development and marketing of aptamer-based treatments for different diseases.

According to the terms of the multi-year partnership, Takeda will pay Archemix an initial sum of $6 million (three million pounds) in exchange for the discovery and generation of pharmaceutical product candidates for three specified disease-associated targets.

Takeda will retain exclusive research, development, manufacturing and marketing rights from any aptamer-based products from these programmes, with Archemix receiving set landmark payments for regulatory and clinical milestones, in addition to product royalties on future sales.

Dr Shigenori Ohkawa, general manager of the pharmaceutical research division at Takeda, said: “Archemix is the leader in the discovery of aptamer therapeutics and we believe that, as a class, aptamers have the potential to create a new paradigm of treatments in a broad spectrum of diseases.”

He added that the firm was impressed with the past record of Archemix in creating aptamers for therapeutic uses while this partnership agreement will improve its research and development pipeline and provide an avenue for future growth at Takeda.

Also this month, Archemix announced a similar strategic partnership with Merck KGaA, with the companies collaborating on the development of aptamers to treat cancer, in addition to autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.