AC Immune and Takeda Sign Exclusive Option and License Agreement for Active Immunotherapy Targeting Amyloid Beta for Alzheimer’s Disease

AC Immune and Takeda Sign Exclusive Option and License Agreement for Active Immunotherapy Targeting Amyloid Beta for Alzheimer’s Disease

• Takeda to receive exclusive option to license global rights to ACI-24.060, a potential first-in-class active immunotherapy designed to delay or slow Alzheimer’s disease progression
• AC Immune to receive upfront payment of $100 million upon closing and be eligible for an option exercise fee and additional potential milestones of up to approximately $2.1 billion
• AC Immune to host conference call and webcast today at 8:30 a.m. ET
  
  

OSAKA, Japan, CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, and LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 13, 2024 – Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) and AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU) today announced an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement for AC Immune’s active immunotherapies targeting toxic forms of amyloid beta (Abeta), including ACI-24.060 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

ACI-24.060 is an anti-Abeta active immunotherapy candidate designed to induce a robust antibody response against the toxic forms of Abeta believed to drive plaque formation and Alzheimer’s disease progression. By inducing plaque clearance and efficiently inhibiting plaque formation in the brain, ACI-24.060 has the potential to delay or slow Alzheimer’s disease progression. ACI-24.060 is being investigated in the ongoing ABATE randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b/2 trial to assess the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and pharmacodynamic effects of the investigational immunotherapy in subjects with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease and in 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. We believe the maximum impact of ACI-24.060 can best be realized by partnering with Takeda at this critical juncture in its development, which will help us move rapidly into Phase 3,” said Dr. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune. “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 while allowing us to focus on completing Phase 1b/2 development and accelerating our efforts to replicate this success with enhanced funding for our early-stage pipeline.”