GSK has entered a partnership with Vesalius Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease and another unspecified neurodegenerative condition. Utilizing its proprietary platform, Vesalius will lead the drug discovery efforts, while GSK will have development and commercialization rights to the preclinical small molecule targeting Parkinson's, along with options to advance other programs.

Under the agreement, GSK will provide Vesalius with USD 80 mn in upfront and equity payments, with an additional USD 570 mn in commercial milestones available.

The following article originally appeared in PR Newswire.

Vesalius Therapeutics, a company pioneering a revolutionary platform to deliver breakthrough treatments for common diseases, today announced a multi-target strategic alliance with GSK to discover and develop novel treatments for Parkinson's disease, and another undisclosed neurodegenerative indication. Vesalius will leverage its platform to identify novel intervention points in Parkinson's disease and one additional indication in neurodegeneration, and GSK will have the option to advance programs against those novel intervention points. GSK will also gain worldwide development and commercial rights from Vesalius to a preclinical small molecule program with an initial focus in Parkinson's disease.

Vesalius is redefining common diseases to identify previously unrecognized groups of patients who are likely to respond favorably to treatments by targeting novel points of intervention. The company uses large-scale human genetics, genomics, induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC) models and artificial intelligence to uncover causal biology and identify optimal intervention points for new therapies. Vesalius' platform represents a revolutionary approach to common disease drug development, driving the creation of novel therapeutics and paradigms designed to increase the success rates of the drug development process.

"Many of the diseases that impact patients globally have a single diagnosis, when in fact they comprise multiple different diseases, each with distinct biological causes," said John Mendlein, Ph.D., Executive Chairman and Interim CEO, Vesalius Therapeutics and Executive Partner, Flagship Pioneering. "Vesalius redefines how we think about and treat common illnesses including autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and neurologic diseases, including but not limited to Parkinson's disease."

Mendlein continued: "Parkinson's disease has tremendous unmet need, and the number of new intervention points has changed very little in sixty years for patients and their families, since the first L-dopa drugs. Central to our alliance with GSK is our shared conviction that targeting the causal factors of common diseases like Parkinson's disease is the key to developing breakthrough medicines faster and with a higher probability of success."

"Our alliance with Vesalius underscores GSK's commitment to the discovery and development of disease modifying therapeutics in areas of significant unmet need," said Kaivan Khavandi, M.D., Ph. D., SVP, Global Head of Respiratory/Immunology R&D, GSK. "Using the Vesalius platform to understand underlying drivers of such neurodegenerative diseases and select optimal therapeutic interventions underscores our focus on leveraging advanced technology to identify and target the root causes of disease."

"GSK brings numerous strengths to this alliance including its global scale and expertise in human genetics," said Amanda Kay, Ph.D., Senior Partner and Chief Business Development Officer, Flagship Pioneering. "Our strategic alliance exemplifies the outsized potential of combining the complementary capabilities of a pioneering bioplatform company and an innovative pharmaceutical company to advance breakthrough treatments for patients."

Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will be responsible for advancing Vesalius' preclinical small molecule program with an initial focus in Parkinson's disease and has the option to advance programs for novel intervention points identified in Parkinson's disease and another neurodegenerative indication. GSK will control all development and commercialization. Vesalius will receive $80 million in upfront and equity payments, and is eligible to receive potential preclinical, development and commercial milestone payments of up to $570 million along with tiered royalties for the preclinical small molecule program. In addition, Vesalius is eligible to receive preclinical, development and commercial milestone payments and tiered royalties for each of the novel intervention points that result from the multitarget deal. The potential total payment for each novel intervention point remains undisclosed.

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