REG - C4X Discovery - C4XD Agreement with AstraZeneca

C4X Discovery HoldingsAnnouncement

28/11/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 6974H  C4X Discovery Holdings PLC  28 November 2022

C4X Discovery Holdings plc

 

C4XD signs exclusive global licence worth up to $402 million(1) with
AstraZeneca

for the development and commercialisation of NRF2 Activator programme

 

C4XD is eligible to receive upfront and pre-clinical payments of $16 million,
plus development and commercial milestones, and tiered mid-single digit
royalties

 

Agreement further substantiates C4XD's scientific expertise and strategy
through a third significant deal with a major pharmaceutical company

 

 

28 November 2022 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering Drug
Discovery company, has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with
AstraZeneca worth up to $402 million(1), for its NRF2 Activator programme.
AstraZeneca will develop and commercialise an oral therapy for the treatment
of inflammatory and respiratory diseases with a lead focus on chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

 

Under the terms of the agreement, C4XD will receive pre-clinical milestone
payments worth up to $16 million ahead of the first clinical trial, including
$2 million upfront.  In addition, C4XD is eligible to receive a further
potential $385.8 million in clinical development and commercial milestones and
tiered mid-single digit royalties upon commercialisation.

 

Sir Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D,
AstraZeneca said: "At AstraZeneca, we are committed to transforming care in
respiratory and immune-mediated disease and move beyond symptom control. Our
alliance with C4XD adds an important new asset to our portfolio to push the
boundaries of science by targeting underlying disease drivers to potentially
modify the course of these diseases."

 

Dr Clive Dix, CEO of C4XD, added: "Drug Discovery is inherently scientifically
complex, and it is through our unique expertise and proprietary cutting-edge
technologies that C4XD is yet again proving itself as an exemplar in this
field.  NRF2 is thought to be a critical but challenging anti-inflammatory
target, and I am proud of the work by our team to achieve a broad stable of
intellectual property for this programme, leading to our third significant
deal with a truly world-renowned industry leader.  The COPD market alone is
worth close to $20 billion and rising.(2) But, more importantly, I know that
in AstraZeneca's hands, with their scientific, technical and commercial
expertise, our NRF2 Activator programme has the potential to deliver life
changing treatments for the millions of patients suffering with COPD across
the world."

 

Inflammation is a key driver in many pathological conditions including
respiratory diseases.  NRF2 is an important natural regulator, controlling
the expression of antioxidant genes, and it plays a key role in cellular
defense against external insults, as well as the regulation of the
inflammatory response.  Targeting the NRF2 pathway to reduce inflammatory
damage offers the potential for a new approach to treat a variety of
inflammatory diseases such as COPD, where activation of NRF2 may help in
reducing the negative effects of the oxidative stress-induced progression of
the disease.(3,4.) Lead molecules from C4XD's oral NRF2 Activator programme
have been found to significantly activate NRF2 following oral dosing,
providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.

 

- Ends -

 

Contacts

 

 C4X Discovery Holdings
 Mo Noonan, Communications                                 +44 (0)787 6444977

 Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (NOMAD and Broker)
 Freddy Crossley, Emma Earl (Corporate Finance)            +44 (0)20 7886 2500
 Rupert Dearden (Corporate Broking)

 C4X Discovery Media - Consilium Strategic Communications
 Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal            +44 (0)203 709 5700

 

Notes to Editors:

 

About COPD

COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.23 million
deaths in 2019.  It is a common, preventable and treatable chronic lung
disease which affects men and women worldwide.  Abnormalities in the small
airways of the lungs lead to a narrowing of the airways, limiting airflow in
and out of the lungs and destruction of parts of the lung may be observed.(5)
 Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for COPD, causing a high level of
oxidative stress in the lungs and driving chronic inflammation as well as
increased severity of infection-induced flare-ups.(6)

 

About C4X Discovery

C4X Discovery ("C4XD") is a pioneering Drug Discovery company combining
scientific expertise with cutting-edge Drug Discovery technologies to
efficiently deliver world leading medicines, which are developed by our
partners for the benefit of patients. We have a highly valuable and
differentiated approach to Drug Discovery through our enhanced DNA-based
target identification and candidate molecule design capabilities, generating
small molecule drug candidates across multiple disease areas including
inflammation, oncology, neurodegeneration and addictive disorders. Our
commercially attractive portfolio ranges from early-stage novel target
opportunities to late-stage Drug Discovery programmes ready for out-licensing
to partners and we have three commercially partnered programmes with one
candidate in clinical development.

 

We collaborate with leading pharmaceutical and life sciences companies to
enrich our expertise and take our assets through pre-clinical and clinical
development. Through early-stage revenue-generating licensing deals, we
realise returns from our high value pre-clinical assets which are reinvested
to maximise the value of our Drug Discovery portfolio.  For further
information see www.c4xdiscovery.com (http://www.c4xdiscovery.com)

 

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical
company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of
prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals,
including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory &
Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries
and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
Please visit astrazeneca.com
(https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/twitter.com/AstraZeneca)
and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca
(https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/twitter.com/AstraZeneca)
.

 

1.     Total deal value has been rounded to the nearest significant figure
in US$

2.
https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd-treatment-market.html
(https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd-treatment-market.html)

3.
https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-020-1292-7
(https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-020-1292-7)

4.     https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-022-00967-3

5.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd)
(https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd))

6.     https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/11/5/965/pdf?version=1652446153

 

 

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