Coya Therapeutics partners with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to develop COYA 302 drug

Houston-based Coya Therapeutics COYA has entered a partnership with Dr. Reddy s Laboratories Ltd. RDY, a world-leading pharmaceutical company based in India. Coya will license Dr. Reddy's biosimilar product Abatacept through the partnership, allowing Coya to develop its COYA 302 combination product. This drug will combat various neurodegenerative diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ALS Through its one-time, non-refundable fee, Coya has an exclusive royalty-bearing license to Abatacept for the development and commercialization of COYA 302. This license also gives Coya the right to sell the drug in the USA, the EU, the United Kingdom, Japan, and elsewhere. Coya will owe royalties to Dr. Reddy for the sale of the product. In addition, Dr. Reddy s will develop COYA 302 in its own territories and owe royalties to Coya upon the commercialization of COYA 302.

COYA 302 is a dual biologic product that will provide a novel treatment for various neurodegenerative diseases. The COYA 301 and CTLA 4 Ig components suppresses inflammation in the brain or spinal cord via the body's immunomodulatory pathways. Coya expects to file an investigational new drug IND application with the Food and Drug Administration FDA in the second half of 2023, with a phase 1 b 2 trial to follow.

This partnership between a multi billion generic drug company and a small biotech is one of the first of its kind. It could indicate a shift in how major drug companies are positioning their development pipeline as they explore a biologic biosimilar ability to treat new indications, or symptoms, for major diseases.

North America is making up the largest portion of the market, with recent growth in the global biosimilar market. The market was worth $28.61 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $103 billion by 2028, growing by a compound annual growth rate of 25.6% during the forecast period 2022 -- 2028. There are already 33 FDA approved biosimilars that are used in various treatments, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. Biosimilars have helped bring the cost of medication down, as well as improving treatments.

Dr. Reddy is a leading player in the biosimilar market. The partnership it entered with Coya signals that Dr. Reddy is adopting a new and possibly transformative approach to biosimilars. By combining a biologic biosimilar with another drug product, it is adapting the potential of biosimilars to treat new symptoms of serious diseases.

Coya is already developing a treg-based therapy to deal with neurodegenerative diseases with its Coya 101 product. Coya is showcasing the exciting potential of collaborations between biotech companies and billion-dollar pharmaceutical corporations through its partnership with Dr. Reddy. Coya already has compelling early data from its clinical trials for COYA 302 and it will be revealing the data at the MDA conference on March 21 st, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Other biologics companies include Eli Lilly and Company LLY, Bluebird Bio BLUE and GeoVax, Inc. GOVX.

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