Origenis and Alcon to develop novel ophthalmic compounds

A privately-owned German biotech company has broadened its drug discovery research alliance with Alcon Research Limited (ARL), to develop small molecule drugs for ophthalmic targets.

The alliance combines Origenis' capabilities in compound design, chemical synthesis, and screening with applied biology, pharmacology, and development expertise in ophthalmology.

Origenis employs its proprietary small molecule discovery platform MOREsystem to design, synthesise, and characterise novel molecules acting against different targets. Origenis will deliver IND candidates with specific properties mainly for ophthalmic applications for certain Alcon targets. Origenis's managing director Dr Michael Thormann, said: "This further extension underlines once more the power of our technology platform in the creation of NCEs, our interdisciplinary expertise, and commitment of our company in the small molecule drug sector."

Under the terms of the agreement, Alcon will retain the rights to any products for ophthalmic and nasal applications and Origenis will retain certain rights to all other uses of drug candidates discovered during the alliance. Alcon will make research payments to Origenis through a series of development milestones and royalties on sales.

"We have been very pleased with our relationship with Origenis, which has been a reliable partner that has provided us with value-added research in small molecules that we believe have promise in ophthalmology," said Dr John Yanni, vice president of Discovery Research at Alcon. "We hope that the expansion of our relationship with Origenis will lead to even more candidates for development."