BOSTON, Mass. and SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eccogene, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation oral small molecule therapeutics for chronic cardiometabolic and inflammatory conditions, announced that it will receive a $60 million payment from AstraZeneca, which is being triggered by successfully achieving milestones related to the development of ECC5004/AZD5004 including the first patient dosed in the Phase 2b program. VISTA (NCT06579092) and SOLSTICE (NCT06579105) are two global Phase 2b multicenter trials assessing the efficacy and safety of ECC5004/AZD5004, administered orally, once daily, to participants who are obese or overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity and type 2 diabetes, respectively.
AstraZeneca licensed the global rights to ECC5004/AZD5004 from Eccogene in November 2023, for which the Company received an upfront payment of $185 million and can receive up to $1.825 billion in future milestones, as well as royalty payments. Eccogene retains co-development and co-commercialization rights to ECC5004/AZD5004 in China.
“Obesity and its associated comorbidities affect over one billion people worldwide and continue to grow in prevalence. We are pleased to see ECC5004/AZD5004 – our internally discovered oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist – advancing into Phase 2b clinical trials for obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is an important milestone for Eccogene, as it provides strong validation for our translational research platform and underscores the efficiency and effectiveness of our close collaboration with AstraZeneca,” said Jingye Zhou, Chief Executive Officer of Eccogene.
Sharon Barr, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, commented: “Rapidly progressing AZD5004 is a priority, as novel solutions are needed for patients to address interrelated cardiometabolic disease and the serious risks associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity or overweight with comorbidities. The start of our two Phase 2b trials marks a significant milestone in our efforts to provide an alternative to current injectable therapies that can be offered as a monotherapy as well as in combination for addressing interrelated diseases.”
Leveraging its translational research platform and deep understanding of metabolic disease pathways – in addition to ECC5004/AZD5004 – Eccogene discovered and is advancing a pipeline of next-generation oral therapeutics that can be used alone or in combination with GLP-1 receptor agonists. This includes the Company’s clinical-stage THR-β agonist and SSAO inhibitor – both of which are differentiated compounds, and when used in combination, can potentially help augment the efficacy of GLP-1 to address comorbidities of obesity. Eccogene is also advancing several innovative preclinical programs, such as a small molecule GIP receptor modulator.
About Eccogene
Eccogene is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation oral small molecule therapeutics for chronic cardiometabolic and inflammatory conditions. Since its founding, Eccogene has been dedicated to discovering safer and more effective oral therapies that can be used alone or synergistically with a GLP-1 receptor agonist to treat conditions beyond obesity. The Company’s diverse pipeline of small molecule candidates leverages its world-class expertise in translational research, small molecule discovery, and a deep understanding of diabetes, weight loss, and cardiometabolic disease pathways. Eccogene’s oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, ECC5004/AZD5004, is a potentially best-in-class asset, which was licensed to AstraZeneca. Eccogene also has clinical programs underway that target THR-β and SSAO, as well as preclinical programs targeting proven pathways, such as GIP. For more information, please visit www.eccogene.com or follow the Company on LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Amy Bonanno
Lyra Strategic Advisory
abonanno@lyraadvisory.com
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