Sanofi, Principia Agree To Develop Multiple Sclerosis Drug Candidate

Sanofi will develop Principia Biopharma experimental oral treatment that shows promise in multiple sclerosis (MS) and, potentially, other central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

Under the license agreement signed this week, Sanofi will develop Principia's Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor (PRN2246), which was designed to access the brain and spinal cord by crossing the blood-brain barrier and impact immune cell and brain cell signaling. PRN2246 is currently in clinical development.

"Our agreement with Principia is an example of Sanofi's strategic commitment to build our drug discovery and development pipeline in MS and neurological diseases," says Rita Balice-Gordon, PhD, Global Head of MS/Neuroscience Therapeutic Research Area at Sanofi. "Complementing our own internal R&D expertise, external relationships like this may accelerate delivery of new treatments to patients living with these serious diseases."

Under the terms of the agreement, Principia will grant Sanofi an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize PRN2246. Sanofi will pay Principia a $40 million upfront payment, future milestone payments that could total $765 million and royalties on product sales. Principia has the option to co-fund Phase 3 development, in exchange for either increased royalties on worldwide product sales or a profit and loss sharing arrangement in the United States.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to customary regulatory approvals.