29 Mar 2018 07:00
C4X Discovery Holdings plc
("C4XD" or the "Company")
C4X Discovery signs licensing agreement with Indivior for addiction programme worth up to $294m
- C4XD receives $10 million upfront, potential milestones totalling $284 million plus royalties
29 March 2018 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering drug discovery company, today announces that it has signed a licensing agreement with Indivior UK Limited (LON: INDV, "Indivior") to further develop and commercialise C4XD's oral Orexin-1 receptor antagonist ("C4X3256") for the treatment of addiction. C4X3256 aims to treat addiction by targeting the "craving" process itself and, therefore, can be applied across a broad range of substance use disorders. The treatment of addiction represents a substantial area of unmet medical need, forecast to be worth an estimated $13 billion per annum in 20181.
Under the terms of the agreement, C4XD will receive an upfront payment of $10 million and could receive up to $284 million of potential development, regulatory and commercialization milestones in addition to royalties. In turn, Indivior receives a global and exclusive licence to C4X3256 and all other compounds in the same patent family and is responsible for the cost and execution of all further development of C4X3256. The agreement covers the development of Orexin-1 antagonists for multiple indications.
C4X3256 has the potential to represent a major new method of treating addiction and related disorders. The Orexin-1 receptor is considered to be central to the brain's craving and reward pathways but to date a lack of specificity has hindered clinical development. C4XD's drug discovery engine has allowed the discovery of a highly specific Orexin-1 antagonist that targets Orexin-1 but not Orexin-2, which is targeted in the treatment of insomnia. C4X3256 is a novel, potent and selective oral Orexin-1 antagonist. It has demonstrated excellent preclinical efficacy and tolerability in several preclinical models of addiction.
Dr Clive Dix, CEO of C4X Discovery, said: "C4X Discovery is a pioneer in drug discovery and today's licensing agreement with Indivior, a world-leader in developing and commercialising treatments for addiction, highlights the ability of our drug discovery engine to generate best-in-class small-molecule candidates in high value therapeutic areas. Our goal is to drive returns through early-stage revenue-generating deals with the pharmaceutical industry. This agreement will allow us to accelerate the development of our portfolio to similar successful commercial arrangements and validates our business model."
The C4XD portfolio continues to progress as planned, and a full portfolio update will be given in C4XD's Interim Results in April 2018.
1. Source: GBI Research 2012
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For further information, please contact:
C4X Discovery Holdings plc
Clive Dix, Chief Executive Officer 07801 865 803
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (NOMAD and Broker)
Freddy Crossley (Corporate Finance) 020 7886 2500
Tom Salvesen (Corporate Broking)
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal 0203 709 5700
About C4X Discovery
C4X Discovery aims to become the world's most productive drug discovery engine by exploiting cutting edge technologies to design and create best-in-class small-molecule candidates targeting a range of high value therapeutic areas. The company's goal is to drive returns through early-stage revenue-generating deals with the pharmaceutical industry.
C4X Discovery has a state-of-the-art suite of proprietary technologies across the drug discovery process. The company's innovative DNA-based target identification platform (Taxonomy3®) utilises human genetic datasets to identify novel patient-specific targets leading to greater discovery productivity and increased probability of clinical success. This is complemented by C4XD's novel drug design platform which comprises two innovative chemistry technologies, Conformetrix and Molplex, that combine 4D molecular shape analyses (based on experimental data) with best-in-class computational chemistry. This provides new and unprecedented insight into the behaviour of drug molecules, enabling the production of potent selective compounds faster and more cost effectively than the industry standard.
C4X Discovery is advancing its in-house pipeline in addiction, diabetes and inflammation with a number of new drug candidates identified and further progress made towards the clinic. In selecting new targets C4X Discovery will focus on the high-value disease areas of inflammation and neurodegeneration, and will continue to maximise value from opportunistic areas, for example, immuno-oncology, addiction, and diabetes.
The Company was founded as a spin-out from the University of Manchester. It has a highly experienced management team and Board who have delivered significant value creation within the healthcare sector historically and have enabled C4XD to reach multiple value inflexion points since IPO. For additional information please go to: www.c4xdiscovery.com.
About Indivior
Indivior is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with a 20-year legacy of leadership in patient advocacy and health policy while providing education on evidence-based treatment models that have revolutionized modern addiction treatment. The name is the fusion of the words individual and endeavour, and the tagline "Focus on you" makes the Company's commitment clear. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a strong pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and address other chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 900 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more.