A deal initially negotiated between Prothena Corporation plc and Celgene Corporation in 2018 continues to bear fruit, as Bristol Myers Squibb Company – which inherited the collaboration by buying Celgene – is opting in on a second candidate under the neuroscience partnership and option arrangement. On 28 May, BMS opted to acquire worldwide rights to PRX019, its second in-licensing decision under the deal, paying Prothena $80m in the process.
Details remain minimal about PRX019, which uses an undisclosed mechanism of action and is slated to enter Phase I for unspecified neurodegenerative diseases following US Food and Drug Administration approval of an investigational new drug (IND) application in December. Last July, BMS elected to acquire global rights to Prothena’s anti-tau Alzheimer’s disease candidate PRX055/BMS-986446, which is now in Phase II
While the two companies are keeping a lid both on the mechanism of action (MOA) and potential indications for PRX019, Jefferies analyst Michael Yee speculated that the candidate might target either TREM2 (a transmembrane protein receptor) or APOE4 (a gene that disrupts lipid