Indivior enters agreement with C4X over OX1 programme

Indivior announced on Thursday that its subsidiary Indivior UK and C4X Discovery Holdings have entered into a license agreement whereby Indivior UK obtained exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize C4X's oral orexin-1 receptor antagonist programme.

The FTSE 250 company said the orexin-1 molecular pathway had been identified by Indivior as a priority pathway for the treatment of addiction.

Selective blockade of the OX1 system had been shown to decrease drug-seeking behaviour related to psychomotor stimulants, opiates and alcohol, and to prevent relapse or reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviour during abstinence.

Indivior said it believed that further development of the OX1 pathway could lead to “significant” advances in medication assisted treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders.

The agreement with C4X included lead candidate C4X3256 - a novel, first-in-class, oral, small molecule that had demonstrated preclinical efficacy and tolerability in animal models.

Indivior said the collaboration also included a library of additional OX1 compounds in the same chemical family.

Under the terms of the agreement, Indivior UK would make an upfront payment to C4X of $10m with potential milestone payments to C4X that could total $284m over time if all development, regulatory and commercial goals are achieved.

“We are continuing to extensively review and invest in targeted new treatments that extend our understanding of and leadership in addiction,” said Indivior CEO Shaun Thaxter.

“The OX1 pathway is a key molecular pathway we are targeting for development and is particularly attractive to us for its potential as a non-narcotic mechanism for treating and preventing relapse across a broad range of substance use disorders.

“Our development of the OX1 pathway will leverage the current efforts we have already underway internally and through other collaborations as we pursue novel treatments for addiction.”

Christian Heidbreder, chief scientific officer of Indivior, added that the company believed C4X's OX1 program was one of the most promising early stage programs to potentially treat addiction,

“Further, we believe there is great potential for additional compounds to be discovered and developed with respect to this important mechanism that will contribute to the continued elucidation of the neurobiological underpinnings of withdrawal symptoms, drug intake, craving, relapse, and co-morbid psychiatric associations.”