Sanofi and Principia join forces to advance potential MS therapy

Sanofi and Principia Biopharma have entered into an agreement to develop a clinical-stage oral drug candidate as a potential therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi has been granted an exclusive worldwide licence to develop and commercialise Principia’s Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor (PRN2246). This drug candidate has been designed to access the brain and spinal cord by crossing the blood–brain barrier and impacting immune cell and brain cell signalling. It is currently at the clinical stage of development.

“Our agreement with Principia is an example of Sanofi's strategic commitment to build our drug discovery and development pipeline in MS and neurological diseases,” stated Rita Balice-Gordon, PhD, global head of MS/Neuroscience Therapeutic Research Area at Sanofi. “Complementing our own internal R&D expertise, external relationships like this may accelerate delivery of new treatments to patients living with these serious diseases.”

“Sanofi is an ideal partner for PRN2246. The agreement allows Principia to maximize the BTK opportunity in neurology with a strong partner for PRN2246 while focusing internal resources on our lead BTK inhibitor in another therapeutic area,” added Martin Babler, chief executive officer of Principia Biopharma. “PRN2246 is a blood brain barrier crossing, highly potent BTK inhibitor, that we believe is especially well suited for the treatment of MS and other neurological disorders.”