Valeant Teams with AstraZeneca on Psoriasis

Canadian drugmaker Valeant has said it will work with AstraZeneca on a potential treatment for psoriasis, brodalumab, taking up the gauntlet from Amgen, which recently curtailed research on the same drug due to a link to suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Psoriasis drugs also are said to affect patients' immune systems, leaving them more vulnerable to infections.

Amgen and AstraZeneca are continuing to collaborate on antibody drugs, a partnership in place since 2012.

Valeant said it is prepared to pay AstraZeneca as much as $445 million if the drug is successfully developed and approved and meets sales targets. The companies will also share profits.

The two companies plan to file for marketing approval of brodalumab in the US and the EU during this year’s fourth quarter. It would be marketed as a treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis.

Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. owns the rights to the drug in Japan and some other countries in Asia.