Rigel Pharmaceuticals Finalizes Pact with Eli Lilly for RIPK1 Inhibitor

Rigel Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly have finalized an agreement to jointly develop Rigel’s RIPK1 inhibitor, R552, for a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

RIPK1 (receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1) is an enzyme that regulates immune cells and RIPK1 inhibitors are being investigated as potential oral treatments for a range of degenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Under the agreement, Rigel received an upfront payment of $125 million, with the potential for an additional $330 million in milestone payments for noncentral nervous system (CNS) disease products, and $255 million in milestone payments for CNS disease products.