Boehringer is interested in open innovation with Yuhan

Announcement of last year's results and outlook for the year at the online global annual conference

Last year's Jardiance ·Ofev's 1st and 2nd place in earnings

Looking forward to cooperation with Korea

Boehringer Ingelheim emphasized the importance of open innovation and announced that it has a long-term partnership with Yuhan.

 

It also mentioned the possibility of further open innovation for R&D materials in Korea.

 

In addition, they expressed their will to do their best in the development of COVID-19 treatment and anticancer drugs targeting KRAS.

 

Boehringer Ingelheim held an online global annual press conference on the morning of the 24th (local time in Germany) and announced last year's results and forecasts for this year.

 

In spite of COVID-19 crisis, Boehringer Ingelheim showed good performance last year with its flagship items, Jardiance and Ofev.

 

Total sales amounted to €19,570 million, an increase of 3% from the previous year.

 

During the same period, operating profit rose 22.2% to €4,620 million.

 

SGLT-2 inhibitor Jardiance posted the highest sales in the human medicine division at €2.48 billion, and Jardiance is expected to expand the range of treatment to heart failure and kidney disease.

 

Ofev showed remarkable growth last year.

 

It recorded €2,060 million, an increase of 41% year-on-year, ranking second in revenue contribution for the first time.

 

Carinne Brouillon, director of the human medicine business unit, said "It's not because of COVID-19, because Ofev isn't related to COVID-19 comorbidity, This is because there is more room for finding and treating target patients with the development of diagnostic technology than in the past." Boehringer Ingelheim plans to focus on developing COVID-19 treatments, and it started development from the beginning of last year.

 

BI767551, which is being developed as an inhalant, entered a phase 1/2a clinical trial in December last year in collaboration with the University of Cologne Hospital in Germany, the University of Marburg, and Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung.

 

It is also developing COVID-19 neutralizing antibody that can be used in combination with BI767551, a low molecular weight substance that inhibits the replication of COVID-19, and a therapeutic agent for preventing microcoagulation.

 

It also invests in the development of new drugs for diseases with high unmet medical demand.Boehringer Ingelheim showed high interest in KRAS anticancer drugs.

 

It is developing therapeutics that target a wide range of KRAS mutations.

 

The company said, "There is a lot of interest in KRAS mutant cancer.

 

It is an important mutant gene that causes pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer, but there is no licensed agent yet." Boehringer Ingelheim said that it has a broad portfolio that can be used in combination with other substances as well as candidates that can target all important KRAS mutations as candidates that block SOS1 protein, so it could be the core of KRAS mutations.

 

It also emphasized collaboration with partnerships for IMD development.

 

Boehringer Ingelheim is building partnerships with pharmaceutical companies around the world, and a new drug for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is being developed with Yuhan in Korea.

 

Yuhan technically exported the NASH candidate material to Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019.

 

Director Carinne Brouillon said, "We have a long-term strategic partnership with Yuhan, Korea's leading pharmaceutical company, and we are working closely with R&D in the NASH sector." the director added, " As there are many interesting R&D activities in Korea, we are interested in additional open innovation if there is a good opportunity that matches the area we focus on or explore."