Today, Gubra announces the signing of a new research and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover novel peptides for the treatment of obesity. The new research collaboration builds on the successfully progressing joint research projects between the companies. It takes on a new approach to identify, validate and develop innovative treatments with the aim of improving health outcomes for people living with obesity.
Obesity is a complex chronic disease that is interconnected with other conditions across the cardio-renal-metabolic disease spectrum. It increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and cancer and can significantly reduce quality of life and life expectancy. The global prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically over the last decade. According to WHO it nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016, affecting around 650 million adults worldwide today. New treatments based on a holistic understanding of obesity and its interconnections are needed to be able to offer tolerable and efficient treatments to all affected people.
“We are very pleased to enter another important collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim. Obesity is a growing worldwide problem and joining forces on this new research program has the potential to take obesity treatment to the next level to the benefit of patients around the world”, said Henrik Blou, CEO of Gubra.
“We have established a great working relationship with the team at Gubra. We are confident that together we will be able to further expand our pipeline portfolio in obesity, allowing us to achieve our goal: to improve the lives of people living with cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases,” said Søren Tullin, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cardiometabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim.
The new collaboration builds on the positive experience from previous partnerships. It combines Gubra’s proprietary streaMLine platform and expertise in obesity and Boehringer Ingelheim’s experience in bringing transformative first-in-class treatment options to patients in need. The companies share the goal of providing new obesity therapies with increased tolerability that support greater weight loss than current therapy options.
Under the agreement, Gubra may receive up to EUR 144 million comprising of upfront, success-based development and commercialization milestones plus low single-digit royalties on worldwide net sales.
Contact at Gubra:
Media: Sofia Pitt Boserup, [email protected], +45 4188 9586
Investors: Kristian Borbos, [email protected], +45 3080 8035
About Gubra
Gubra, founded in 2008 in Denmark, listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen in 2023, is specialized in pre-clinical contract research services and peptide-based drug discovery within metabolic and fibrotic diseases. Gubra’s activities are focused on the early stages of drug development and are organised in two business areas – CRO Services and Discovery & Partnerships (D&P). The two business areas are highly synergistic and create a unique entity capable of generating a steady cash flow from the CRO business while at the same time enjoying biotechnology upside in the form of potential development milestone payments and potential royalties from the D&P business. Gubra has approx. 200 employees and had annual revenue of approx. DKK 200 million in 2022. See www.gubra.dk for more information.
About Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two business units Human Pharma and Animal Health. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
