July 20 Quick Takes: Via its second preclinical deal this week, Sanofi gains Recludix’s oral STAT6 inhibitor

A collaboration announced Thursday between Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NASDAQ:SNY) and Recludix Pharma Inc. to target the SH2 domain of STAT6 to treat immunology, inflammatory and oncology indications could bolster the pharma’s dermatology franchise with an orally administered small molecule. Sanofi will pay $125 million in near-term payments for the oral STAT6 inhibitor, which the biotech says could be first in class; Recludix, which will lead R&D until the start of Phase II, is eligible for more than $1.2 billion in milestones and up to double-digit royalties, and has an option to participate equally in U.S. profit/loss sharing.

Recludix’s discovery platform integrates DNA-encoded libraries, structure activity relationship determination, structure-based design, and an SH2 family-wide screening tool. Sanofi’s Dupixent dupilumab to treat atopic dermatitis, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and prurigo nodularis yielded €8.3 billion ($8.9 billion) in revenues in 2022. ...