Biogen Idec enters $380M deal on AD Abs with Neurimmune

US drugmaker Biogen Idec and Switzerland's Neurimmune Therapeutics AG have entered into an agreement for the worldwide development and commercialization of novel, fully-human antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The alliance will focus on the development of antibodies that bind to amyloid-beta, a pathogenic molecule thought to cause neurodegeneration and loss of cognitive function in AD patients. Neurimmune will conduct research to identify potential antibodies using its Reverse Translational Medicine platform. Biogen will be responsible for the development and commercialization of all products. Neurimmune could receive an aggregate of $380.0 million in upfront and success-based milestone payments, as well as a royalty on net sales of any products, the firm added.