Boehringer Ingelheim, Kyowa Kirin enter license agreement to develop novel treatment for fibro-inflammatory diseases

Boehringer Ingelheim, Kyowa Kirin enter license agreement to develop novel treatment for fibro-inflammatory diseases

Boehringer Ingelheim and Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. announced on Monday that they have entered into a license agreement to develop a novel, first-in-class treatment for fibro-inflammatory diseases.

According to the company’s press statement, the new development programme is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to combat fibro-inflammatory diseases by developing breakthrough therapies, building on the company’s expertise and leadership in this disease area, to improve patient outcomes.

Fibro-inflammatory diseases result from chronic inflammation caused by a variety of factors including persistent infections, autoimmune reactions, allergic responses and tissue injury. Examples are systemic sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, lung fibrosis and others. They are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Living with fibro-inflammatory diseases greatly impact patients’ lives, both physically and emotionally and they account for more than one third of deaths worldwide.

“There is a huge remaining unmet patient need in fibro-inflammatory diseases,” said Clive R. Wood, Ph.D., corporate senior vice president and global head of discovery research at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are very excited about partnering with Kyowa Kirin and being able to add this opportunity to our portfolio to develop new breakthrough treatments for patients with this new collaboration.”

“We are pleased to announce that we have signed the License Agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim.” said Takeyoshi Yamashita, Ph.D., director of the board, chief medical officer, senior managing executive officer of Kyowa Kirin. “The compound was discovered through Kyowa Kirin’s expertise in innovative technology and disease biology. Boehringer Ingelheim is highly regarded for its expertise in fibro-inflammatory diseases, and we believe that they should be the best partner to maximize and deliver the value of our compound for patients in need.”

Boehringer Ingelheim is a global leader in the research and development of treatments for fibro-inflammatory diseases. The company has pioneered the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis with the introduction of Ofev, approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (PF/ILD) and systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD). BI 1015550, a phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) inhibitor, is currently being investigated in phase 3 clinical studies in patients with IPF and with other progressive fibrosing ILDs.

Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company with a more than 70-year heritage, we apply cutting-edge science including expertise in antibody research and engineering, to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas including nephrology, oncology, immunology/allergy and neurology.