Boehringer and Arena Pharmaceuticals team up to battle psychiatric diseases

Boehringer Ingelheim and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced that they will collaborate to make advancements in research involving schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases.

The two companies signed an exclusive agreement to pursue joint research that will identify drug candidates designed to target a yet undiscovered G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). The GPCR belongs to a group of CNS receptors known as orphan receptors. On a structural level, orphan receptors are associated with families of proteins that act as functional cell-surface receptors.  

The agreement between Boehringer and Arena give Boehringer exclusive rights to any discovered compounds and intellectual properties dealing with the orphan CNS receptor. Drug candidates designated as suitable for further development will be jointly researched by the companies. Through the agreement, Boehringer has procured worldwide rights to the development, manufacturing and commercialization of resulting products.

Mental illness, coupled with drug abuse disorders, is a leading cause of disability across the globe. According to the World Health Organization, more than 450 million people worldwide suffer from some sort of mental illness. Mental health disorders affect more people than cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes and continues to grow.