AstraZeneca announces license agreement with Eccogene for ECC5004

In November, AstraZeneca said that it and Eccogene entered into an exclusive license agreement for ECC5004, an investigational oral once-daily glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for the treatment of obesity, type-2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic conditions. Preliminary results from the Phase I trial have shown a differentiating clinical profile for ECC5004, with good tolerability and encouraging glucose and body weight reduction across the dose levels tested compared to placebo, AstraZeneca said. Under the terms of the agreement, Eccogene will receive an initial upfront payment of $185M and up to an additional $1.825B in future clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones and tiered royalties. AstraZeneca is granted exclusive global rights for the development and commercialization of ECC5004 for any indication in all territories except China, where Eccogene has the right to co-develop and commercialize alongside AstraZeneca.