Nasdaq-listed Acadia Pharmaceuticals has secured a global licence for Saniona’s SAN711, a GABAA-α3 positive allosteric modulator, in a deal worth up to $610m.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals plans to focus on SAN711 for treating essential tremor, a neurological disorder characterised by shaking or trembling movements.
The company will initiate a Phase 2 clinical study of SAN711 in essential tremor by 2026.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals CEO Catherine Adams said: “Licensing SAN711 to expand our pipeline underscores our unwavering commitment to delivering innovative therapies for patients with central nervous system disorders.
“Essential tremor is a condition that has not seen innovation in treatment for decades, creating a compelling opportunity to address a long-overlooked need.”
Under the terms of the deal, Denmark-based Saniona will receive $28m upfront, with potential milestone payments up to $582m.
Additionally, the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is eligible for tiered royalties on net sales of SAN711.
The potential milestone payments to Saniona include up to $147m for achieving development and commercial milestones related to the first and second indications of SAN711. An additional amount of up to $435m may be earned based on annual net sales thresholds of SAN711 worldwide.
A $10m milestone payment will be made upon the start of the first Phase 2 study of the asset.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals will lead clinical development, regulatory submissions, and commercialisation efforts. The company will support Saniona’s ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial and preparation for the Phase 2 clinical study.
Saniona CEO Thomas Feldthus said: “Our collaboration with Acadia leverages their robust expertise in neuroscience development and commercialisation, positioning SAN711 as a promising option for neurological disorders while enabling us to advance several of our other valuable pipeline programmes to key inflection points.”
Saniona specialises in ion channel modulation to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
Its epilepsy pipeline includes SAN2219, which targets acute repetitive seizures, and SAN2355, for refractory focal onset seizures.
The firm also has four other clinical programmes in development, including Tesofensine for obesity. The asset is already licensed to Medix in Mexico and Argentina.
Tesomet is ready for Phase 2b while SAN903 is preparing for Phase 1 for inflammatory bowel disease, and SAN2465 is entering preclinical development for major depressive disorder.
Last month, Acadia Pharmaceuticals secured Health Canada’s marketing approval for Daybue (trofinetide) to treat a rare genetic neurological disorder.
