Sanofi and ADEL sign US$1.04bn Alzheimer’s deal

South Korea’s ADEL has signed a US$1.04bn Alzheimer’s partnership with Sanofi to develop and sell an experimental antibody now in early US trials.

Under the agreement, ADEL receives an upfront US$80m, plus milestones tied to development and commercial progress, and royalties on future sales.

Sanofi also signed a separate deal with private biotech Dren Bio worth up to US$1.7bn on the same day to develop autoimmune therapies.

The drug candidate, ADEL-Y01, is an antibody that targets tau acetylation. Tau is a brain protein that helps stabilise nerve cells; acetylation is a chemical tag linked to harmful build-up seen in Alzheimer’s.

“ADEL’s innovative approach to targeting tau acetylation offers a promising and differentiated mechanism for addressing the underlying causes of Alzheimer’s disease.” said Erik Wallstroem, global head, multiple sclerosis, neurology and gene therapy development at Sanofi.