Amgen, Biovitrum expand license agreement for inhibitor of metabolic disorder enzyme

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Feb. 13 - Amgen Inc. and Biovitrum AB said they have expanded their existing agreement for the development and commercialization of Biovitrum's small molecule 11(beta)-HSD1 enzyme inhibitors.

According to a company news release, the 11(beta)-HSD1 enzyme is present in tissues of importance for metabolism and insulin sensitivity such as the liver and the adipose tissue and may have important roles in a number of common diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

The original development and marketing collaboration agreement, announced in September 2003, gave Amgen the exclusive right to commercialize products in North and South America, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.

Under the expanded agreement, Amgen has exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize all products, while Biovitrum retains co-promotion rights in the Nordic region.

Amgen will pay an undisclosed amount for the upfront payment related to the expanded licensed territory and will fund and conduct all further development and commercialization activities, the companies said.

Biovitrum may receive additional milestone payments related to development progress and regulatory submissions.

The most advanced compound in this collaboration is in early clinical development. Once a product has been approved, Biovitrum will receive tiered royalties on worldwide sales of all products arising from the agreement.

Amgen is a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., that develops human therapeutics.

Biovitrum is a biopharmaceutical company based in Stockholm, Sweden, that researches and develops pharmaceuticals for both broad diseases and conditions that affect smaller patient populations.

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