Partnership to advance anti-amyloid immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease

AC Immune SA ad Takeda have announced an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement for the former’s active immunotherapies that target toxic forms of the biomarker amyloid beta to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

According to a joint release, ACI-24.060 is an anti-amyloid beta immunotherapy candidate that works by inducing plaque clearance and inhibiting plaque formation in the brain, thereby delaying or slowing AD progression.

ACI-24.060 is being investigated in the ongoing ABATE clinical trial, a phase 1b/2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and pharmacodynamic effects of ACI-24.060 in those with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease as well as adults with Down syndrome.

“As pioneers in the field of active immunotherapy, we are developing an innovative approach that could change the treatment paradigm for Alzheimer’s disease and address the multifaceted burden that patients and the broader community face,” AC Immune CEO Andrea Pfeifer, PhD, said in the release. “This agreement allows us to leverage the developmental expertise, strategic vision and financial capacity of an accomplished organization that has demonstrated its ability to execute the type of comprehensive global program required for phase 3 trials in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Terms of the agreement, per the release, stipulate that AC Immune will be responsible for completing the ABATE trial. Takeda would subsequently conduct and fund all further clinical development and assume responsibility for all global regulatory activities and commercialization.

“We are excited to partner with AC Immune on this ground-breaking treatment approach, which leverages novel technology with the potential to offer patients a treatment with differentiated efficacy, safety and ease of administration,” Sarah Sheikh, MSc, BM, BCh, MRCP, head of global development at Takeda, said in the release.