They worked together before on bipolar medication Vraylar, and now Allergan—ahem, AbbVie—will try to repeat that success with Gedeon Richter.
AbbVie, which of course absorbed Allergan two years ago, announced it will double down on a partnership with the Hungarian pharmaceutical company to create dopamine receptor modulators for neuropsychiatric diseases.
The pair did not disclose financial details of the revamped licensing and co-development coalition, which has been around for about 15 years, according to AbbVie. The companies will work on both preclinical and clinical R&D activities, sharing financing. Richter will receive an upfront fee plus future milestone and royalty payments. AbbVie will be granted worldwide commercialization rights outside of Richter’s usual markets, including Europe, Russia, Vietnam and a few others. AbbVie said the transaction will close in the second quarter.
North Chicago, Illinois-based AbbVie was apparently impressed by Richter's preclinical research that has turned up several new chemical entities that are advancing to development.
Vraylar brought in $1.73 billion for AbbVie in 2021 and is indicated for bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia. The therapy, which the FDA first approved in 2019, is being investigated for treating autism and major depressive disorder.
AbbVie has seven meds in its neuroscience pipeline, which includes a phase 3 Parkinson’s disease asset called ABBV-951. Other indications include Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury and migraine.
Richter, meanwhile, has been coasting off of Vraylar for a while but lists 11 original projects in the pipeline. The company’s focus is on neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, but it also offers contract development and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical industry.