Vitae earns US$14 million milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim in Alzheimer’s collaboration

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Vitae Pharmaceuticals announced that it has earned a US$14 million milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim for that company’s initiation of a Phase I clinical trial in the Vitae’s beta-secretase (BACE) inhibitor programme for Alzheimer’s disease.

“This achievement offers new promise for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease – patients who are urgently in need of new treatment options,” says Jeff Hatfield, chief executive officer of Vitae.  “Our strong working relationship with Boehringer has produced great science, and the opportunity to deliver a best-in-class compound to patients.” 

According to a press release, the collaboration aims to discover and develop beta-secretase inhibitors to slow or halt the formation of amyloid-beta plaques that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and are widely associated with the disease.  Within 18 months of Vitae initiating full-scale research efforts on BACE, Vitae partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim, generating US$42 million in upfront and research funding and the opportunity to earn more than US$200 million in pre-commercial payments in addition to sales milestones and royalties.