Boehringer collaborates with Gubra to develop next generation obesity treatments

Germany based Boehringer Ingelheim has committed up to €250 million ($300 million) to work with Gubra on obesity treatments.

As per the deal, Boehringer can access Gubra’s expertise in the design, synthesis and preclinical testing of therapeutic peptides.

Ingelheim is paying an upfront fee of undisclosed size and committing to up to €250 million all told to access a potential source of peptides that regulate food intake. 

That focus continues Boehringer’s longstanding and active interest in developing drugs against obesity and related cardiometabolic diseases.

The joint research and development program between Boehringer Ingelheim and Gubra aims to identify novel peptidic compounds which are able to regulate food intake. It complements other ongoing Boehringer Ingelheim research and development programs, including the dual acting glucagon/GLP-1 agonist and the long-acting amylin analog development programs conducted in collaboration with Zealand Pharma A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark

Clive Wood, Senior Vice President, Boehringer said, "We look forward to working with Gubra to bring breakthrough treatments for obesity. It underscores our holistic, patient centric research strategy in metabolic diseases, which addresses not only obesity but also diabetes and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis as well as complications like diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy."

Henrik Blou, CEO of Gubra ApS said, "We are extremely pleased to enter this collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim, which is yet another proof of the quality of our longstanding work in the metabolic space". And he adds, "it is truly a pleasure to be able to work with Boehringer Ingelheim on this important project and it enables us to utilize our very broad range of research, discovery and development capabilities for the benefit of the large number of patients suffering from this condition."