Alpha Cognition Inks $44 Million Licensing Pact For Its Alzheimer's Drug In China

Zinger Key Points

Alpha Cognition licenses Zunveyl to China Medical System for $44M, covering Asia (excl. Japan), Australia, and New Zealand.
ALPHA-1062 shows promise in reducing neuroinflammation and neuropathology from repetitive blast trauma in preclinical trials.
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On Wednesday, Alpha Cognition Inc. ACOG and China Medical System Holdings Limited announced an exclusive licensing agreement for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Zunveyl (benzgalantamine) in Asia (excluding Japan), Australia and New Zealand.

Zunveyl is a next-generation acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved in the U.S. for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

The deal value is $44 million, including $6 million in total upfront payments split into tranches and development and commercial milestone payments.

Additionally, Alpha Cognition is eligible to receive royalties on Zunveyl's net sales in Asia (excluding Japan), Australia, and New Zealand.

China Medical System will be responsible for the regulatory, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Zunveyl in the licensed territories.

Alpha Cognition remains on track to launch Zunveyl in the United States in Q1 2025. The company will provide a corporate update and present its Launch Strategy on January 28, 2025.

The company is also developing ALPHA-1062 in combination with memantine to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia and as an intranasal formulation for Cognitive Impairment with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Last month, Alpha Cognition announced interim preclinical data that provided evidence of benefit for ALPHA-1062 in the treatment of mTBI resulting from repetitive blast trauma, a highly relevant military injury.

Key findings demonstrated that ALPHA-1062 administration reduced neuroinflammation markers and neuropathology levels after blast trauma. High-dose ALPHA-1062 reduced the levels of myeloid cell activation [CD 68] across multiple brain regions one month after the blast.

High+dose ALPHA-1062 also demonstrated the ability to reduce midbrain astrogliosis [GFAP], a process where brain cells called astrocytes become larger, multiply, and change in response to injury or disease in the brain.

Price Action: ACOG stock is up 18.90% at $6.80 during the premarket session at last check Wednesday.

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