Boehringer Ingelheim to collaborate with Molecular Partners

Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Molecular Partners

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Molecular Partners, a privately owned biotech company based in Switzerland.

Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will generate E coli production strains and manufacture tox and clinical stage material to support Molecular Partners' proprietary DARPin pipeline.
DARPins are a novel class of biologic drugs that are being developed by Molecular Partners for use in the fields of inflammation, oncology and ophthalmology, among others.

Simon Sturge, corporate senior vice-president of Boehringer Ingelheim Biopharmaceuticals, said: "We are happy to have entered into this collaboration with Molecular Partners as we believe the DARPin platform will play an important role in the development of next generation antibody-like proteins."

He added that the agreement reflects Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to the development of highly innovative molecule platforms.

Dr Christian Zahnd, chief executive officer of Molecular Partners, described Boehringer Ingelheim as "the ideal partner", adding that the company intends to develop DARPin-based products "at highest quality and speed"