Alcon Signs Agreement With AstraZeneca On Eye Drug Development

Published: 22-Jul-2009

Alcon and AstraZeneca are targeting development of drugs to treat sight-threatening diseases

Alcon has entered into a five-year collaborative research agreement with AstraZeneca, for the exclusive ophthalmic discovery and potential development rights to AstraZeneca’s compound library.

Reportedly, the two companies are targeting development of drugs to treat sight-threatening conditions such as glaucoma, wet and dry age-related macular degeneration and other retinal diseases, as well as ocular allergy, dry eye and other inflammatory eye conditions.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alcon obtains immediate access to thousands of AstraZeneca compounds in a variety of drug classes. AstraZeneca will hand over development and regulatory documentation associated with each compound as relevant to ophthalmology.

Additionally, Alcon will perform and fund all research and development activities to move selected compounds forward.

In addition, the agreement provides for individual license agreements to be negotiated on a case by case basis for any compound that moves into clinical development, including regulatory milestone payments and royalties on product sales.

Sabri Markabi, senior vice president of research and development and chief medical officer of Alcon, said: “Our agreement with AstraZeneca stems from our strategy of enhanced access to sources of technologies and compounds through partnership with leading biomedical research organizations. The combination of AstraZeneca’s broad capabilities in discovery and Alcon’s scientific expertise in eye disease provides potential for therapies that fulfil unmet medical needs in ophthalmology.”

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