GSK adds to COPD pipeline as Exscientia deal bears fruit

AI drug research firm Exscientia has delivered the first candidate molecule to its partner GlaxoSmithKline following an R&D tie-up signed in 2017. Under the deal Exscientia will develop small molecule drugs for up to 10 disease targets nominated by GSK, and is worth up to £33 million if all these milestones are met. The Oxford biotech gave no details about how much it got paid for submitting this first active lead molecule for development by GSK, but said it is a highly potent in vivo molecule targeting a novel pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Developing new respiratory disease drugs is a priority for GSK, which is under pressure after generics of its ageing blockbuster COPD and asthma inhaler Advair have finally been launched in the US market. Mylan in February launched its Advair generic at a 70% discount to Advair, and although GSK has a new generation of respiratory drugs on the market, none of them have gained as much traction as Advair.