Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma agree alliance

Boehringer Ingelheim is entering into partnership with Zealand Pharma to develop new treatments for diabetes and obesity.

The alliance will encompass an exclusive global licence and collaboration agreement for new dual-acting glucagon and GLP-1 receptor agonist treatments.

As part of this, Boehringer Ingelheim will gain marketing rights to ZP2929, Zealand Pharma's lead compound in this category, which is yet to commence phase I testing.

In addition to the development of this drug, the alliance will also aim to focus on the characterisation and identification of further glucagon/GLP-1 agonists in new indications.

Professor Dr Klaus Dugi, Boehringer Ingelheim's corporate senior vice-president for medicine, said: "Our focus to develop innovative diabetes treatments is reinforced by the in-licensing of a very interesting compound from Zealand Pharma which complements Boehringer Ingelheim's pipeline in diabetes and metabolic diseases very well."

In April 2011, the company received a recommendation from a European Medicines Agency committee for the approval of Pradaxa, its novel anticoagulant for atrial fibrillation.