AlzeCure Pharma has signed a collaboration and out‑licensing agreement with Eli Lilly granting the US company global rights to the Alzheimer’s project Alzstatin ACD680.
The deal includes a $10 million USD upfront payment, development and commercial milestones, and tiered mid‑single digit royalties. AlzeCure said the total value of the agreement, excluding royalties, may exceed $1 billion USD.
Alzstatin ACD680 is a gamma‑secretase modulator designed to reduce production of the harmful amyloid‑beta protein Aβ42, which forms the basis of amyloid plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The compound is also intended to increase levels of shorter, benign Aβ proteins, Aβ37 and Aβ38, which may help limit aggregation of Aβ42 and reduce plaque build‑up.
Johan Sandin, Chief Scientific Officer at AlzeCure Pharma, said: “Gamma‑secretase modulators, which we have developed within the Alzstatin platform, are small‑molecule drugs where the mechanism has a strong genetic link to the disease.”
AlzeCure’s CEO Martin Jönsson said: “The Alzstatin compounds are hoped to be used to counteract re‑accumulation of harmful amyloid in the brain. In the long term, these compounds may also serve as a preventive treatment to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Jönsson added: “The agreement with Lilly is an important milestone for AlzeCure and Alzstatin.”
The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Swedish authorities under foreign direct investment regulations.
