Lilly continues early ALS push in five-asset deal with Alchemab

Although drugmakers in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) space have hit repeat roadblocks, Eli Lilly is forging forward with its early aspirations for the disease. The pharma struck its second deal for ALS assets on Thursday, linking up with Alchemab Therapeutics and its antibody discovery engine. 

The collaboration comes about seven months since Lilly made its first foray into ALS by in-licensing QRL-204, a ‘splice-switching’ antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), from QurAlis for $45 million upfront. The biotech also received an undisclosed equity investment, and is eligible for up to $577 million in milestones. 

Financial details of the latest tie-up were not disclosed, but Alchemab will be responsible for developing up to five novel antibody therapeutics using its adaptive immunity-focused methodology. 

The biotech's platform first identifies "resilient individuals," such as those with slow-to-progress neurodegenerative disorders, and studies their antibody receptors for unique antibodies that are not found in people with fast-progressing disease. 

According to Alchemab, it has gathered hundreds of samples from patients with ALS from which it will identify and progress the most promising therapeutic antibodies.

"We have shown that our novel, differentiated antibody discovery platform can lead to insights into how an individual's immune response can generate potent, selective, and unique antibodies with therapeutic potential," CEO Jane Osbourn commented in a company release. "Guided by patients' biological response to disease, [our] platform yields both novel targets and potential therapies in one process." 

ALS landscape

Lilly's latest bet on ALS represents some hope for the field, as at least three companies have reported mid-stage failures within the last month for their experimental ALS treatments. 

Corcept Therapeutics announced in December that dazucorilant, a selective cortisol modulator that binds to the glucocorticoid receptor, did not meet the primary endpoint of slowing functional decline in a Phase II study. And earlier this week, Calico Life Sciences and Denali Therapeutics each reported failures of their respective candidates in the Phase II/III HEALEY ALS Platform Trial.

Lilly isn't the only drugmaker with a more positive outlook on the disease space, however. Insitro announced in December that its machine learning drug discovery platform has identified and validated a novel genetic target for ALS.