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Finch, Takeda Partner to Develop Microbiome Therapies for IBD
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Microbiome engineering company Finch Therapeutics announced it has partnered with Takeda to develop a preclinical synthetic microbiome therapeutic for inflammatory bowel disease.
Takeda has agreed to pay Finch $10 million up front for exclusive global licensing rights to develop and commercialize FIN-524 — a live biotherapeutic composed of bacteria associated with good clinical outcomes in studies of ulcerative colitis — and also rights to follow-on IBD products, according to a press release. Finch will leverage its discovery platform, and may receive milestone payments and tiered royalties on global net sales.
Mark Smith
“Takeda’s deep GI expertise and recent success in bringing therapies to IBD patients complements our own expertise in microbiome engineering,” Mark Smith, PhD, CEO of Finch, said in the press release. “Our human-first discovery platform uses data from successful clinical experiences with fecal transplants to design novel microbiome therapeutics for IBD and other diseases. Working with Takeda, we’re well positioned to bring a potentially transformative and scalable new therapy to patients.”
“We partner with the most innovative scientists and companies in GI research to speed the discovery and development of new therapeutic options for patients with GI diseases,” Gareth Hicks, PhD, head of gastroenterology drug discovery for Takeda, added. “The truly innovative approach to therapeutic design established by Finch and the foundation of clinical evidence underlying FIN-524 make us excited to be working with our new partners in this rapidly developing field of medicine.”
The companies could also expand their partnership to develop similar therapies for other indications, according to the press release.
In February, Finch also announced it has partnered with the nonprofit public stool bank OpenBiome to develop FIN-403 — an oral microbiota capsule for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection — for FDA approval. The agreement followed “promising clinical results” in a dose-finding study.
Last year the company raised $5.6 million in Series A financing to develop FIN-403, and plans to secure additional financing to begin a phase 2 randomized controlled trial of the product candidate in the second half of 2017, according to the announcement. – by Adam Leitenberger
Disclosures: Smith is employed by Finch and Hicks is employed by Takeda.