AbbVie and Gedeon Richter Plc. have entered a new co-development and license agreement to research, develop and commercialize novel dopamine receptor modulators for the potential treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.
 
The collaboration is based on the results of preclinical research carried out by Richter and includes several new chemical entities selected for development. AbbVie and Richter have collaborated for 15 years on Central Nervous System (CNS) projects, including globally launched products such as cariprazine (VRAYLAR / REAGILA).
 
“In collaboration with Richter, we will continue to build on our research that seeks to provide additional insights into our understanding of cariprazine’s clinical pharmacology and explore novel chemistry to identify new dopamine receptor modulators,” said Tom Hudson, MD, senior vice president, R&D, chief scientific officer, AbbVie. “AbbVie is committed to driving progress and finding solutions for patients living with complex neuropsychiatric conditions.”
 
“I am very pleased to extend our existing co-operation under this new collaboration with AbbVie as it opens the way towards new products that could help alleviate the debilitating psychiatric and cognitive symptoms of many neuropsychiatric conditions, leading to an improved quality of life for patients suffering from these conditions around the world,” said Gábor Orbán, CEO of Richter. “I greatly value AbbVie’s capabilities in the field of development and commercialization of drugs acting on the Central Nervous System and we are looking forward to entering this collaboration on new therapeutic options for patients and doctors.”
 
Under the terms of the agreement, the collaboration includes both preclinical and clinical R&D activities with shared financing by the parties. Richter will receive an upfront cash payment, along with potential future development, regulatory and commercialization milestones. In addition, Richter may also receive sales-based royalties. AbbVie will have worldwide commercialization rights except for traditional markets of Richter, such as geographic Europe, Russia, other CIS countries and Vietnam.
 
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.