2014年12月16日讯 /生物谷BIOON/ --辉瑞公司在今年似乎是铁了心的抢占各大网站的头条！先是与阿斯利康的相爱相杀让世人惊爆眼球，再是从2014年下半年开始频频出手，投资其他公司的生物医药产品，向业界展示其雄厚的资金。这不，公司最近就宣布公司已经和美国迈阿密的生物医药公司Opko Health达成合作协议，共同开发一种处于临床三期研究的长效生长激素类药物。而为了这一药物，辉瑞公司更是财大气粗的预付了2亿9千5百万美元的预付款。此外，合约中规定的各项里程碑奖金更是高达2亿7千5百万美元之多。
而就在几天前，辉瑞公司和Spark Therapeutics公司签订了一项价值2亿8千万美元的基因疗法开发协议。此外，就在数周之前，辉瑞公司和默克公司签订了一项共同开发肿瘤免疫疗法的合作协议，辉瑞公司为这一临床前期研究支付了高达8亿5千万美元的预付款。再联想到此前辉瑞公司今年早些时候尝试收购阿斯利康公司的计划，不得不感慨一句，辉瑞公司真乃土豪也！
此次辉瑞公司与Opko Health公司的合作，主要是希望能够开发出一种长效生长激素类药物以代替现有的短期、每日一次的药物治疗方案延长为每周一次注射。这种药物的主要治疗对象是生长激素缺乏的成年人和儿童以及在出生两年内发育迟缓的婴儿。而辉瑞公司在付出如此高的代价后，将获得这种药物在全球市场的所有权。同时，业界人士还认为这也将增强辉瑞公司在罕见疾病领域的研发实力。
详细英文报道：
Pfizer's business development team is on a spending spree. Today the pharma giant ($PFE) said it is partnering with Miami-based Opko Health ($OPK) on a Phase III long acting growth hormone, paying $295 million upfront and promising up to $275 million more on regulatory milestones.
The deal comes just weeks after Pfizer made an $850 million upfront payment to partner with Merck KGaA on a preclinical immuno-oncology program, marking the highest upfront ever paid in an industry licensing deal. A few days ago Pfizer also inked a $280 million gene therapy pact with Spark Therapeutics. Stymied by AstraZeneca ($AZN) in its frustrated attempt earlier this year to complete a megamerger, the Big Pharma company is clearly prepared to pay big to fatten up a lean pipeline. This latest premium harkens back to 2008, when Pfizer paid a $225 million upfront for rights to Dimebon, a drug that failed decisively for Alzheimer's.
In this new pact, the pharma giant is gaining worldwide rights to long-acting hGH-CTP, a growth hormone that promises to replace the once-daily injections currently needed for a once-weekly jab. The biotech will fund and stay in charge of clinical development for adult and pediatric growth hormone deficiency as well as for children who were born small and failed to catch up to the norm in their first two years. Pfizer will be responsible for all other indications in the clinic.
Opko picked up the program from its $480 million all-stock buyout of Israel's Prolor in 2013. The biotech's stock spiked 15% this morning as news of the pact spread. Opko has a market cap of $3.55 billion.
"This agreement strengthens Pfizer's commitment to rare diseases, and we are pleased to work with OPKO to help provide a potential next-generation therapy for patients with Adult and Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency," said Geno Germano, group president of Pfizer's Global Innovative Pharma. "Long-acting growth hormone is the first innovation in the GHD space in 20 years. hGH-CTP would be complementary to our existing Genotropin franchise, and could potentially provide an option that could improve patients' adherence to treatment with once weekly dosing."
Coincidentally, Denmark's Ascendis Pharma A/S announced positive six-month interim results today from an ongoing Phase II pediatric study of its once-weekly TransCon Growth Hormone in children with growth hormone deficiency.