BridgeBio and Shaperon Sign Licensing Agreement for Pulmonary Fibrosis New Drug 'BBT-209'

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Bridge Biotherapeutics announced on the 19th that it has signed a licensing agreement for the candidate substance 'BBT-209' with Chaperon for the development of an oral drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

BBT-209 is being developed as the first 'G protein-coupled receptor 19 (GPCR19)' activator in its class. GPCR19 is a receptor that regulates proteins causing inflammation at an upstream level. When a drug that helps activate the receptor function binds, it suppresses the inflammasome, enabling more effective control of the body's immune response to inflammation.

Chaperon explained that through prior research, they confirmed the drug action pathway of BBT-209 in suppressing inflammasome formation via a specific pathway called ‘GPCR19-P2X7-NLRP3.’ Bridge Biotherapeutics also stated that through its own experiments conducted after the substance transfer agreement, it confirmed the anti-inflammatory therapeutic effect based on an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis animal model. Based on this, they plan to consider combination development strategies with other idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pipelines as well as BBT-209 monotherapy in the future.

Under this agreement, Bridge Biotherapeutics secured worldwide exclusive rights to BBT-209. Chaperon will receive an upfront payment of 2 billion KRW, as well as milestone payments at clinical and approval stages. The total contract value is expected to reach up to 30 billion KRW. Additionally, once commercialization is achieved, royalties based on net sales will also be paid.

Jungkyu Lee, CEO of Bridge Biotherapeutics, said, “Pulmonary fibrosis diseases are areas where unmet medical needs and interest in new drug development are rising globally. Based on our global development capabilities for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis drugs and the synergy with Chaperon’s innovative projects, we will strategically strengthen our fibrosis disease drug pipeline and continuously strive to present advanced treatment options for fibrosis diseases caused by complex factors.”

Seungyong Sung and Myungse Lee, co-CEOs of Chaperon, also stated, “BBT-209 is expected to be a groundbreaking new mechanism treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients who are in critical condition and have limited treatment options. Through collaboration with Bridge Biotherapeutics, we will accelerate drug development to contribute to improving the quality of life for patients suffering from intractable rare diseases with high unmet medical needs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.