AstraZeneca, Lilly to develop and commercialize BACE inhibitor to treat Alzheimer’s disease

The AZD3293 is an oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor, which significantly reduced amyloid beta levels in the cerebro-spinal fluid of Alzheimer’s patients and healthy volunteers in the Phase I studies.

As part of the deal, around $500m will be paid by Lilly to AstraZeneca, in the form of development and regulatory milestone payments.
The first milestone payment of around $50m is expected to be paid in the first half of 2015.

Both the firms will equally share all future costs related to the development and commercialization of AZD3293, as well as net global revenues post-launch.

AstraZeneca innovative medicines and early development executive vice-president Mene Pangalos said: "Alzheimer’s disease is one of the biggest challenges facing medical science today and BACE inhibitors have the potential to target one of the key drivers of disease progression."

The companies plan to launch Phase II/III clinical trial for AZD3293, in which Lilly will lead clinical development, working with researchers from AstraZeneca’s Innovative Medicines Unit for neuroscience, while AstraZeneca will take care of manufacturing.

Earlier this year, AstraZeneca announced that it intends to move AZD3293 into registration trials.