Mireca Medicines GmbH announced it is reunited with all intellectual property rights previously shared in an exclusive eye and ear partnership with Graybug Vision, Inc., now CalciMedica Inc.
In a termination and reassignment agreement, focused equally on shareholder and patient value, Mireca reacquired all rights to its extensive library of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-analogs from Graybug, as the listed company’s development focus has moved away from transformative medicines for ocular diseases.
Under the terms of this agreement, ownership of all formulation and release data for select cGMP-analogs in Graybug’s sustained-release drug delivery technologies, as protected in a new patent application, was also assigned to Mireca.
Furthermore, an improved, patent protected cGMP-analog was selected as lead compound and a new, proprietary manufacturing process conforming to the standards of good-manufacturing practice (GMP) was developed. Various cGMP-analog salt forms produced with this new manufacturing process are now also owned by Mireca.
After this fruitful period of external collaborative development with Graybug, Mireca will continue the development of the new lead compound and formulation combination, now designated as MM238, as internal lead product.
The focus for MM238 drug development continues to be the treatment of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), such as retinitis pigmentosa, Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, and Stargardt’s disease.
Barbara Brunnhuber, CEO of Mireca, said: “During the partnership with Graybug, some major advancements were achieved for Mireca’s cGMP-analogs on the path toward potential treatments for patients suffering from IRDs. It feels so good to be reunited with our value-added lead product MM238. It fills us with energy and confidence for its further development. We have increased our partnering and fundraising efforts to fully capitalize on the potential of our compounds in IRDs and other neurodegenerative diseases.“
Pieter J. Gaillard, PhD, co-founder and chairman of the Mireca Supervisory Board, said: “We initially came to discuss the potential in-licensing of Graybug’s sustained-release drug delivery technology, which instead flipped into having signed, sealed, and delivered a transformative eye and ear deal with Graybug in-licensing our proprietary cGMP-analogs. Today, we can be proud of having fostered a strong and positive relationship between the partners, supported by a clear and mutually beneficial agreement focusing on patient and shareholder benefit alike, that allowed all stakeholders to arrive in a better place as we originated from. That feels good, indeed.”