GeNeuro and Servier partner on multiple sclerosis drug candidate GNbAC1

Switzerland-based drug developer GeNeuro has entered into a strategic partnership with French independent pharma company Servier, worth a potential $455 million, to develop and market GNbAC1 in multiple sclerosis (MS).

As the first drug addressing a causal factor of the disease, GNbAC1 has the potential to radically change the way MS patients are treated. GNbAC1, a humanized monoclonal antibody, targets MSRV-Env, the envelope protein of MS associated retrovirus, a member of the HERV-W family, the expression of which is usually silent but reactivated and expressed in MS lesions from an early stage in the disease. This protein has been shown to be both pro-inflammatory and an inhibitor of remyelination, the two major drivers of MS pathophysiology.

Under the terms of the accord, GeNeuro – a spin-out from Institut Merieux - will be responsible for the development of GNbAC1 until completion of Phase IIb studies, after which Servier can exercise the option to license the product for all markets excluding the USA and Japan.