What C4X does
C4X Discovery Holdings plc’s (LON:C4XD) stated aim is to become the world’s most productive drug discovery engine.
To achieve this goal it is using cutting-edge technologies and expertise to efficiently deliver small-molecule (pharmaceutical) medicines.
It has a unique software platform for determining the flexible 3D shapes of drug molecules from experimental data.
This enables the rapid design and discovery of novel and potent drugs for diseases with high unmet medical need across broad therapeutic areas.
Unlike many drug companies, it looks to find partners at the pre-clinical phase, allowing big pharma to fund expensive human trials.
It successfully out-licensed its programme for addictive disorders to Indivior, receiving an upfront £7.7mln (US$10mln) and milestones of £227mln (US$294mln).
It is working on potential treatments for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and inflammatory bowel disorders and it has numerous collaboration deals.
Below is the company’s drug pipeline
How it is doing
In April, C4X inked a worldwide licensing deal with international drugs giant Sanofi worth up to €414mln for its oral IL-17A inhibitor programme for inflammatory diseases, tapping into a “multi-billion-dollar market”. Currently, IL-17 monoclonal antibodies are administered by injection. Having an oral version represents a significant breakthrough.
In 2018, it agreed to supply its treatment to FTSE 250-listed drug group Indivior for opioid use disorder into the clinic as part of a deal worth US$294mln. Phase I and II studies will receive financial backing from the National Institutes of Health in the US.
C4X also began a new partnership with the GEN-COVID Consortium in Italy to deploy C4X’s Taxonomy3 platform technology to examine genetic data from COVID-19 patients to identify genes specifically associated with severe types of the disease.
The AIM-listed group is looking for partners in programmes ongoing in bowel inflammation, psoriasis, MALT1 deficiency and COVID-19.
Clive Dix, chief executive, is also interim chair of the UK Vaccines Task Force.
What the boss says: Clive Dix, chief executive
“While antibody therapies have demonstrated the potential of IL-17 inhibition in the generation of highly effective treatments, the injectable route means many patients currently do not have access to the medicines that can change their lives.”
“We believe that our small molecule programme has the potential to create high value, efficacious and convenient oral IL-17 therapeutics for this large market.”
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Inflexion points
- Agreement with Sanofi
- Clinical trial for the Orexin-1 programme with Indivior
- A partner for the NRF-2 activator programme with the company seeing commercial interest
- Partnership with the GEN-COVID Consortium for COVID-19 patients