Pulmatrix Licenses Inhaled COPD Drug PUR0200 to Vectura Group plc
PRNewswire: September 6, 2017 – LEXINGTON, MA, U.S.A. – Pulmatrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: PULM), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary diseases, today announced that it has partnered with Vectura Group plc (LSE: VEC) (“Vectura”) to develop Pulmatrix’s drug candidate, PUR0200, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for the U.S. market. Vectura and/or its partners will be responsible for all future development costs to advance the product for the United States.
Pulmatrix will provide the data package for PUR0200 and assist with the transfer of development and manufacturing activities to Vectura. As part of the agreement, a technology access fee of $1 million will be payable to Pulmatrix upon successful achievement of pre-agreed pharmaceutical development criteria. Vectura will commence development immediately and will pay Pulmatrix a mid-teen percentage share of any future revenues that Vectura receives relating to future development and sale of PUR0200 and PUR0200- related products including future combinations.
“Vectura has deep experience with inhaled drugs and innovative dry powder delivery technologies, which makes them an optimal partner to advance PUR0200 as a better product for COPD patients,” explained Robert W. Clarke, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Pulmatrix. “By out-licensing the program to Vectura, PUR0200 is in the hands of a partner with a demonstrated ability to develop drugs for COPD and allows Pulmatrix to focus on our product pipeline including PUR1900 and PUR1800.”
PUR0200 combines tiotropium bromide, the active component in the billion-dollar blockbuster drug Spiriva, with Pulmatrix’s ground-breaking iSPERSE™ drug delivery platform. Early stage clinical trials of PUR0200 have shown the product to be up to five times more efficient at delivering the drug to the lungs than the currently marketed product. Vectura will utilize its innovative dry power inhaler device technology to deliver PUR0200, with the goal of providing enhanced delivery and a better device format of PUR0200 for patients.
Pulmatrix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies to address serious pulmonary disease using its patented iSPERSE™ technology. The company’s proprietary product pipeline is focused on advancing treatments for rare diseases, including PUR1900, an inhaled anti-fungal for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and severe asthma, and PUR1800, a narrow spectrum kinase inhibitor for patients with COPD. In addition, Pulmatrix is pursuing opportunities in major pulmonary diseases through collaborations, including PUR0200, a branded generic in clinical development for COPD. Pulmatrix’s product candidates are based on iSPERSE™, its proprietary dry powder delivery platform, which seeks to improve therapeutic delivery to the lungs by maximizing local concentrations and reducing systemic side effects to improve patient outcomes.
PUR0200 is Pulmatrix’s once-daily, inhalable iSPERSE™ reformulation of tiotropium bromide for COPD patients. PUR0200 is a branded alternative to Spiriva® HandiHaler® in the United States.
Vectura, a FTSE250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: VEC), is an industry-leading device and formulation business for inhaled airways products offering a uniquely integrated inhaled drug delivery platform. With its extensive range of device and formulation technologies, integrated capabilities, and collaborations, it is a leader in the development of inhalation products, increasing its ability to help patients suffering from respiratory diseases.
