Bristol-Myers Squibb has linked up with the California Institute for Biomedical Research to develop anti-fibrotic therapies.
The US major has bagged exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise Calibr’s preclinical compounds resulting from the collaboration. No financial terms have been disclosed.
Carl Decicco, head of discovery R&D at B-MS, said the Calibr alliance “further strengthens our specialty portfolio and advances the company’s fibrotic diseases pipeline”. Among the assets in the latter are BMS-986020, a lysophosphatidic acid 1 (LPA1) receptor antagonist in Phase II for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a CCR2/5 dual antagonist also in Phase II for diabetic kidney disease.
In November last year, B-MS took out an option to acquire Galecto Biotech of Denmark and get access to its IPF treatment TD139. The latter is an inhalable galectin-3 inhibitor and is in Phase I.
