BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Boehringer, Autifony in deal for potassium channel modulators

December 22, 2017 8:23 PM UTC

Autifony Therapeutics Ltd. (Stevenage, U.K.) granted Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Ingelheim, Germany) an exclusive option to acquire its potassium channel Kv3.1 (KCNC1)/KCNC2 modulator program. Autifony will receive €25 million ($29.5 million) up front and is eligible for €602.5 million ($710.3 million) in milestones, including €17.5 million ($20.6 million) during the option period.

The deal includes AUT00206, an oral small molecule in Phase Ib testing for schizophrenia and in healthy volunteers undergoing ketamine challenge. Autifony expects top-line data next year from its Phase Ib trial in schizophrenia. The company said it will determine whether to develop the candidate in other indications, including fragile X syndrome, based on the results of the schizophrenia trial. AUT00206 has Orphan Drug designation in the U.S. for fragile X syndrome...