GSK,
Alector to develop Parkinson's, Alzheimer's drugs in $2.2 billion deal
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[July 02, 2021]
(Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc and U.S.
firm Alector Inc will together develop antibody-based treatments for
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other similar diseases in a deal worth up
to $2.2 billion, the drugmakers said on Friday.
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The tie-up comes weeks after U.S. authorities approved the first new
Alzheimer's drug in almost two decades, Biogen Inc's Aduhelm,
reinvigorating the industry's efforts to develop more treatments in
a challenging therapy category.
The collaboration also aligns with London-listed GSK's efforts to
build a robust pipeline of drugs, as it prepares to spin off its
large consumer healthcare division as a separate company.
Alector will receive $700 million upfront from GSK and could receive
up to $1.5 billion more payments tied to drug development-related
milestones and royalties.
GSK and Alector will develop two of the U.S. company's experimental
treatments that target a protein called progranulin, to fight off
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's,
which affect the nervous system and can cause problems with regular
mental and physical functioning.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jul/02/images/ads/current/charrons_bch041713.png)
"Working with Alector's world class scientists will allow us to
investigate the potential of these immuno-neurology therapies," said
Hal Barron, chief scientific officer and president of R&D at GSK.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Jul/02/images/ads/current/graue_21ENCORE_062821.png) Progranulin is found on the GRN
gene and is a key regulator of immune activity
in the brain. Studies have found that mutations
in this gene are tied to several
neurodegenerative disorders, making progranulin
a target for new treatments.
Besides Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, Alector and
GSK's drug candidates are part of trials for
diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, a rare
type of dementia, Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS,
another rare disorder that weakens muscles and
impairs physical function.
The candidates belong to a class of medicines
called monoclonal antibodies used in
immunotherapy, where the body's own defences are
used to fight infections and other diseases,
including cancer.
(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru;
Editing by Rashmi Aich)
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