Ensemble Therapeutics initiates research and development collaboration with Novartis

Ensemble Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing Ensemblins™, a novel class of small molecule therapeutics with the power of biologics, today announced the initiation of a two-part research and development collaboration with Novartis. The companies have entered into a strategic development agreement for Ensemble's most advanced proprietary program that targets the inflammatory cytokine IL-17, and for a new program to discover novel small molecule treatments against undisclosed drug targets specified by Novartis using Ensemble's proprietary drug discovery platforms.

“The discovery component of our alliance reinforces the mutual commitment to advance candidates from Ensemble's macrocycle-based chemistry.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Ensemble will receive an undisclosed upfront payment from Novartis and is also eligible to receive potential success-based development and sales milestone payments. In addition, Ensemble will receive tiered royalties on potential future sales of products that may arise from the collaboration. Novartis will also provide research funding to Ensemble during the term of the collaboration.

"We are very pleased to enter into this collaboration with Novartis, a clear leader in the development of treatments for IL-17-dependent inflammation and autoimmune diseases," said Ensemble CEO Michael D. Taylor, PhD. "Novartis has recognized the strength of Ensemble's orally bioavailable drug candidates against this difficult-to-drug protein:protein interaction target, and we believe Novartis is the best-suited pharmaceutical company to partner with us to rapidly develop and market important new medicines for the treatment of IL-17-mediated disease," he continued. "The discovery component of our alliance reinforces the mutual commitment to advance candidates from Ensemble's macrocycle-based chemistry."

Ensemble's class of IL-17 antagonists licensed by Novartis represent the potential for first-in-class, orally active, small molecule inhibitors of this important, clinically-validated target. The protein-protein nature of interaction of IL-17 with its receptor has made design of traditional small molecule pharmaceutical inhibitor difficult, so has been addressed to date with injectable protein therapeutics directed to the ligand. An orally-active inhibitor of IL-17 would have a profile complementary to the current class of clinical stage anti-IL-17 antibody products, which have shown compelling efficacy in multiple human clinical trials involving various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.