AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company, and Capsida Biotherapeutics have just announced a major collaboration that could potentially change the treatment of eye diseases. With a staggering investment of more than $600 million, the two companies are pushing forward three gene therapy programs that could revolutionize the way eye diseases are treated. This is a groundbreaking development and could open up a whole new frontier in healthcare.
AbbVie and Alcon, a global leader in eye care, have announced a new and expanded partnership that will bring together their expertise to develop transformative therapies for eye diseases. The two companies have already had a 2021 partnership and are now looking to expand upon it, with the goal of ultimately helping patients with serious eye diseases. Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Research at AbbVie, said in a statement, “This new deal will help us bring innovative treatments to those suffering from these conditions.”
AbbVie has expanded its agreement with gene therapy specialist Capsida, providing them with $70 million in upfront payments, a potential equity investment, and up to $595 million in contingent milestones. This extensive collaboration could give Capsida the necessary support to make groundbreaking advances in the field of gene therapy.
Capsida stands to benefit from lucrative commercial milestones and mid-to-high single-digit royalties if any products emerge from this agreement. An exciting opportunity awaits, and the potential rewards are substantial.
Under the terms of the agreement, Capsida will spearhead the effort to discover capsids and create a process for their development and early clinical manufacturing. AbbVie, on the other hand, will be responsible for the therapeutic cargo, as well as later-stage development and commercialization of the product. Together, the two companies will work towards creating a groundbreaking new product that could revolutionize the healthcare industry.
Capsida CEO Peter Anastasiou revealed that the partners have not disclosed specific details about the disease areas or the exact number of targets they are looking at. When contacted by BioSpace, Anastasiou remained tight-lipped about the nature of the collaboration.
Capsida, a California-based biotech, launched in April 2021 with a bang, having gained $90 million in a multi-year strategic collaboration with AbbVie, one of its earliest backers. The investment is set to develop three groundbreaking targeted gene therapies to treat serious neurodegenerative conditions.
Specific Targeting
Gene therapy development faces a major challenge: ensuring the exposure of target organs and tissues while limiting exposure to non-target organs and tissues. This task is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the treatment.
Capsida’s revolutionary adeno-associated virus (AAV) engineering platform is revolutionizing gene therapy. Using advanced machine learning, their technology can create highly precise capsids to deliver gene therapeutics to specific target cells and tissues with lower doses, reducing potential toxicities. This innovation is transforming the way gene therapies are administered.
The revolutionary AAV gene therapy platform developed by Anastasiou has the potential to revolutionize the efficacy and safety of treatments across a range of therapeutic areas. This cutting-edge technology has the potential to drastically improve the way we treat a variety of diseases, offering hope and a brighter future for those who are suffering.
AbbVie, a global leader in ophthalmology, saw its business expand even further with a deepening collaboration. In 2022, AbbVie earned $2.7 billion from their ophthalmology portfolio, including Lumigan (bimatoprost) and Alphagan (brimonidine) eye drops for open-angle glaucoma and high ocular pressure, and Restasis (cyclosporine) for chronic dry eye disease. With this new collaboration, AbbVie looks forward to providing better treatment options for patients suffering from eye diseases.
AbbVie is leading the way in ophthalmic research with four assets currently in development. Most notably, RGX-314 is in Phase III clinical trials for wet age-related macular degeneration and Phase II for diabetic retinopathy. This innovative candidate is being developed in partnership with the cutting-edge biotechnology firm, REGENXBIO.
In January, Capsida’s AAV platform attracted the attention of Eli Lilly subsidiary Prevail Therapeutics, resulting in a multi-year collaboration to develop cutting-edge gene therapies for serious conditions of the central nervous system. This exciting development comes on the heels of AbbVie’s investment in the same platform, further demonstrating its potential to revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases.