07:26 AM EDT, 05/13/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Takeda Pharmaceutical ( TAK ) and AC Immune ( ACIU ) said Monday they have agreed to an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement for AC Immune's ( ACIU ) immunotherapies, including its Alzheimer's disease treatment candidate.

The treatment candidate, ACI-24.060, is designed to induce an antibody response against the toxic forms of amyloid beta believed to drive plaque formation and Alzheimer's disease progression.

ACI-24.060 is currently undergoing a phase 1b/2 trial conducted by AC Immune ( ACIU ) to assess safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and pharmacodynamic effects in patients with prodromal Alzheimer's disease and in adults with Down syndrome. Depending on the trial's results, AC Immune ( ACIU ) stands to receive under the agreement an upfront payment of $100 million and be eligible to receive an option exercise fee as well as additional development, commercial, and sales-based milestone payouts of up to around $2.1 billion, as Takeda will conduct and fund further clinical development and commercialization of the drug, the companies said.

Upon commercialization, AC Immune ( ACIU ) will receive tiered, double-digit royalties on worldwide net sales, they added.

Shares of AC Immune ( ACIU ) were up nearly 53% in recent Monday premarket activity.

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