Inventiva and AbbVie extend agreement to develop RORγ inverse agonists

Inventiva, a biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative therapies, has announced the extension of an agreement with AbbVie to continue to research and develop orally available RORγ inverse agonists.

AbbVie, to coincide with this move, has also stopped development of its own ROR-γ inverse agonist lead compound following a phase 1 study.

RAR-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ) is a human protein.

Pierre Broqua, co-founder of Inventiva, said: “RORγ is one of the most promising small molecule approaches in controlling the production of T helper 17 cells, with the potential to treat several autoimmune diseases.

“We are excited to continue our work with AbbVie, one of the leaders in development and commercialisation of autoimmune drugs.”

The agreement states that Inventiva will receive an undisclosed research payment. It will also receive milestone payments when a new candidate is identified.

Inventiva will also be eligible for development and sales milestones, and royalties on sales, as part of the new agreement.