Nestlé Health Science has exercised its option to obtain an exclusive license for the global development and commercialization of Codexis’ novel, oral enzyme CDX-6114 for the management of phenylketonuria (PKU), an orphan metabolic disorder. Nestlé Health Science was granted this option under the companies’ Development, Option and Licensing Agreement from October 2017. CDX-6114 is Codexis’ first internally developed biotherapeutic product candidate.
 
Codexis will receive a $3 million milestone payment and Nestlé Health Science assumes all responsibility for future clinical development and commercialization of CDX-6114.
 
“We are proud to have discovered an enzyme that shows promise as a novel treatment for patients with PKU and are delighted that Nestlé Health Science has elected to take on its continued development,” said Codexis president and chief executive officer, John Nicols. “The exercise of this option further validates our strategy to partner biotherapeutics discovered using our CodeEvolver protein engineering platform, and to do so early in the process of clinical development.”   
 
“We are excited about taking the next step in developing this enzyme that could lead to the first orally available and convenient therapeutic option for those afflicted with PKU,” said Greg Behar, chief executive officer, Nestlé Health Science. “PKU is the result of a missing enzyme, and left untreated it can lead to intellectual disability, seizures and cognitive and behavioral disabilities. Current treatment options are limited, with most patients managing PKU through restrictive diets. CDX-6114 is a therapeutic enzyme candidate that compensates for the missing natural enzyme with the advantage of being orally dosed and stable in the gastrointestinal tract which presents an attractive option for the management of the disease.”