Almirall has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with Novo Nordisk to gain rights to develop its IL-21-blocking monoclonal antibody for immune inflammatory dermatological diseases.

Novo’s NN-8828 is a high-affinity monoclonal antibody that targets the cytokine IL-21, which has been developed up to phase 2 in non-dermatological indications.

NN-8828 has the potential to block the activation of the downstream signalling pathways of IL-21 and inhibit the pathophysiological functions induced by cytokines in several immune cells, therefore making the asset a promising option to treat inflammatory and autoimmune skin disorders.

Dermatological diseases are estimated to affect 1.8 million people worldwide and consist of conditions that irritate, clog or damage the skin.

Autoimmune skin diseases, including dermatitis herpetiformis, lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, occur when the body’s immune system attacks healthy skin or tissue.

Common symptoms of most skin diseases include itching, blistering or painful rashes, which may affect the skin, mouth and eyes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Almirall will obtain global rights to develop and commercialise NN-8828 as a first-in-class agent in dermatology.

The company will accelerate the development of the asset to address key dermatological diseases while taking responsibility for the global development and future commercialisation in these fields.

Novo will receive an upfront payment from Almirall, along with additional development and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered royalties based upon future global sales of the asset.

Dr Karl Ziegelbauer, chief scientific officer of Almirall, commented: “This new partnership… will allow us to explore the innovative approach of IL-21 blockage as a possible new pathway to effectively treat a range of dermatological diseases.”

Last year, Almirall announced several partnerships, including with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputión and Nostrum Biodiscovery, and Absci to develop treatments for a range of dermatological conditions.