Amgen of Thousand Oaks, California and Array BioPharma of Boulder, Colorado recently created a cooperative contract to develop innovative drugs aimed at combating autoimmune disorders after Array’s breakthrough discovery of certain target and lead inhibitors.
The partnership is structured to combine Array’s chemistry with Amgen’s clinical development and marketing knowhow. Amgen is scheduled to compensate Array through a pre-arranged payment program, including future royalties, for the rights to commercialize Array’s preclinical work.
"We are pleased to enter this collaboration with Array that builds on our continued focus in inflammation, one of Amgen's key strategic areas of interest," Dr. Flavius Martin, Amgen’s vice president of research, inflammation and oncology, said. "We look forward to partnering with Array BioPharma to advance molecules into the clinic that may offer a new treatment option for patients."
Array BioPharma leaders also expressed anticipation of success, referring to Amgen as “a leader in treatments for inflammatory disease.” Chief Scientific Officer Nicholas Saccomano noted that his company’s kinase-directed phenotypic screening platform was largely responsible for the innovative work.
"The identification of this novel target, along with our team's deep experience in kinase inhibitor chemistry, gives us confidence that our efforts will result in a drug which will address a significant unmet medical need for patients with inflammatory disease," Saccomano said.
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