Pfizer and Zacharon Pharmaceuticals have entered into a strategic research collaboration to develop drugs for orphan diseases, including lysosomal storage disorders. Zacharon will use its platform for developing small molecule drugs targeting specific carbohydrate polymers or glycans for the potential development of new compounds.

Zacharon will receive up-front payments and R&D funding and is eligible to receive development milestones, plus royalties and sales milestones upon commercialization. The potential value of the collaboration is approximately $210 million.

“We are very pleased to be working with Pfizer, which has broad compound development expertise, including in the area of small molecules, which should be quite useful to developing drugs for these orphan diseases,” said Robin Jackman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Zacharon. “The collaboration provides validation for the potential that lies in Zacharon’s broadly applicable technology platform.”

Ed Mascioli, M.D., head of Pfizer’s Orphan & Genetic Diseases Unit, said, “Part of Pfizer’s Orphan & Genetic Diseases Unit’s strategic focus relies on collaborations with companies like Zacharon that have promising technologies to help develop treatments for rare diseases. Zacharon is an ideal partner, and we look forward to working with them to develop treatments for lysosomal storage diseases.”