Syntaxin, Ipsen In Botulinum Therapeutic Pact

Ipsen and Syntaxin have entered into global strategic collaboration for the discovery and development of new compounds in the field of botulinum toxins.  Syntaxin will be responsible for the discovery of new therapeutic candidates and Ipsen will apply its pharmacological, preclinical and clinical assessments of the discovered compounds.

Syntaxin is eligible to receive a technology access fee, employee support, and research milestones totaling $9 million in the first three years of the collaboration. Syntaxin is also eligible to receive additional license fees, development and regulatory milestones and potentially more than $90 million of commercial milestones and royalties. Ipsen will have exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to the programs discovered within the collaboration.

Dr. Melanie Lee, chief executive officer of Syntaxin, said, “We have worked closely with Ipsen over the last 12 months and we are delighted to sign a second strategic agreement with Ipsen whereby both companies will combine their knowledge and skill in botulinum toxin biology to explore the development of compounds in areas of shared therapeutic interest. This collaboration is validation of Syntaxin’s dual-approach strategy to maximize the potential of its expertise and experience in botulinum toxins in addition to its Targeted Secretion Inhibitors platform technology.”

Claude Bertrand, Ipsen’s executive vice president of R&D and chief scientific officer, said, “We are delighted to reinforce our collaboration with Syntaxin, an expert company in the field of botulinum toxins. In line with the strategy announced in June, Ipsen is investing to remain on the cutting edge of innovation in the botulinum toxin space. Syntaxin and Ipsen, through their synergistic expertise, are well positioned to become pioneers in the development and commercialization of new botulinum toxins.”