British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has teamed up with China-based CSPC Pharmaceutical Group (CSPC) to advance the development of CSPC’s pre-clinical candidate small molecule, YS2302018.
YS2302018 is an early-stage, novel small-molecule lipoprotein disruptor that has the potential to offer additional benefits for patients with dyslipidaemia.
Under the terms of the exclusive licence agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain access to CSPC’s pre-clinical candidate YS2302018, in exchange for an upfront payment of $100m.
CSPC is also eligible to receive up to $1.92bn in potential development and commercialisation milestone payments, in addition to tiered royalties.
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group board chairman Dongchen Cai said: “Lipoprotein (a) represents a very important target for dyslipidemia and is implicated in multiple cardiometabolic diseases.
“Through this agreement with AstraZeneca and their global capabilities in clinical development and commercialisation, we look forward to accelerating the development of YS2302018.”
YS2302018 was discovered by CSPC and has been effective in preventing Lp(a), a form of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) crucial in the transport of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
The rise in levels of Lp(a), along with LDL-cholesterol, are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke.
AstraZeneca will develop YS2302018 as a novel lipid-lowering therapy in a range of cardiovascular disease indications, along with its oral PCSK9 inhibitor AZD0780.
The pre-clinical asset will further strengthen its cardiovascular portfolio to help address the major risk factors driving chronic cardiovascular disease, said the UK drugmaker.
AstraZeneca executive vice president and biopharmaceuticals R&D head Sharon Barr said: “This asset is an important addition to our cardiovascular pipeline and could help patients to more effectively manage their dyslipidaemia and related cardiometabolic diseases.
“Given the scale of unmet need, with cardiovascular disease being a leading cause of death globally, advancing novel therapies that can be used alone or in combination to effectively address known risk factors and advance patient care is particularly important and a key part of our strategy.”
In a separate development, AstraZeneca announced that its asthma medication Airsupra (albuterol/budesonide) met the primary endpoint in the Phase 3b BATURA clinical trial.
The study enrolled patients with asthma, including those on short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA), low-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), or leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA).
In the study, the asthma medication showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of a severe exacerbation compared to albuterol.
Also, Airsupra showed safety and tolerability that was consistent with its established profile, with no new safety concerns reported, said the British drugmaker.
