Biogen to Buy Alzheimer’s Drug from Pfizer

Biogen has announced an agreement to acquire a novel drug from Pfizer for the potential treatment of patients with behavioral and neurological symptoms across various psychiatric and neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The purchase of the drug, a CNS-penetrant small molecule inhibitor of casein kinase 1 (CK1), will include an upfront payment of $75 million with up to $635 million in potential additional development and commercialization milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties. Biogen expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2020.

CK1 is a key regulator of the ‘central clock,’ the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, that controls circadian rhythm and impacts nearly all vital physiology and metabolism. The disruption of circadian rhythm is associated with various psychiatric and neurological diseases, including certain important symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“This asset is highly complementary to our existing pipeline of potential disease-modifying therapies in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases,” said Alfred Sandrock Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Biogen. “Many patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s suffer from debilitating sleep disorders and agitation, and we believe that the regulation of the circadian rhythm may hold promise in addressing these challenging behavioral and neurological symptoms.”

One of the world’s first global biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 and now has the leading portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, commercializes biosimilars of advanced biologics and is focused on advancing research programs in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, ophthalmology, immunology, neurocognitive disorders, acute neurology and pain. (Source: Biogen Website, 13 January, 2020)