Piramal Imaging has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with AC Immune for the firm's tau protein PET tracers.
The pact covers research, development, and commercialization of the tracers for the diagnosis and clinical management of Alzheimer's disease and potential tau-related disorders.
The formation of tau tangles in the human brain is recognized as one of two major indications of Alzheimer's disease pathology. The other factor is beta-amyloid plaques.
Piramal will provide AC Immune with an undisclosed upfront payment, with AC Immune eligible for milestone payments and other royalties based on achieving development goals in Alzheimer's and other tau-related diseases. Piramal will have global rights for clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of a tau PET tracer resulting from the collaboration. Financial details were not disclosed.
The agreement is based on a partnership in which AC Immune has used Piramal Imaging's Neuraceq PET tracer to image beta-amyloid plaques in the brain of patients undergoing phase I/IIa clinical testing of AC Immune's ACI-24 Alzheimer's vaccine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March cleared Neuraceq for PET imaging of the brain to estimate beta-amyloid plaque density in adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's and other causes of cognitive decline.
