The specter of Big Pharma is the looming elephant in the psychedelic room. Even with psychedelic medicine’s lofty intent to create new paradigms for both business and mental health, the reality is that this is a biotech industry that will inevitably cross paths with the big pharmaceutical firms.
There are various ways easy that this can happen, from swallowing little IP fish whole and assimilating them into current pharma models; to strategic investments that allow psychedelic start-ups to maintain autonomy.
This week’s recent news gives some insight into what that future may look like.
Otsuka, a Japanese pharma giant, has announced an investment and collaboration with Mindset Pharma. This $5 million investment, made through its McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development will support the discovery and development of Mindset’s novel assets (with related rights to potential licensing and sales).
This is in addition to Otsuka’s previous $20 million payment to atai Life Sciences, part of a major licensing agreement for the use of one of atai’s ketamine molecules.
For those wary of future relationships with Big Pharma, these sort of licensing-based investments could be seen as a positive sign for psychedelic medicine independence.
See the full press release below.
The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development and Mindset Pharma Collaborate to Develop Psychedelic Medicines
January 05, 2022 07:00 ET | Source: Mindset Pharma Inc.
PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development, LLC (MSRD), a member of the global Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies, and Mindset Pharma Inc. (Mindset) (CSE: MSET) (FSE: 9DF) (OTCQB: MSSTF) today announce a collaboration that will support the development of psychedelic medicines. MSRD has made a strategic investment to support the discovery and development of novel chemical entity assets of Mindset, a drug discovery and development company focused on creating optimized and patentable next-generation psychedelic medicines to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders with unmet medical needs.
“Exploring multiple paths is essential as we work to address the unique needs of individuals living with mental health conditions,” said Robert McQuade, Ph.D., president, McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development, LLC, and chief strategic officer, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. “We look forward to collaborating with Mindset on these assets and are hopeful that medical psychedelics could be approved to treat mental illness in the future.”
MSRD, which identifies and supports early-stage opportunities that can change the landscape of treatments for mental illness and renal disorders, will financially and operationally support the development of two families of Mindset’s novel medical psychedelic compounds through Phase 1a and Phase 1b clinical trials. MSRD has made an upfront cash payment of $5 million USD to Mindset and under the terms of the agreement, MSRD and Mindset may agree to expand the collaboration to continue to develop the compounds as pharmaceutical products.
In addition, Mindset has granted MSRD a right of first refusal with respect to any asset sale, exclusive licensing or collaboration opportunities pertaining to the drugs and a right of first negotiation with respect to a merger, acquisition or asset sale related to Mindset, both in exchange for the upfront payment, further collaboration, and funding of the development of Mindset’s novel compounds. MSRD also has the ability to potentially receive single-digit percentage royalty payments under certain circumstances when the right of first refusal is not consummated or the agreement is terminated.
“It is our great pleasure to collaborate with MSRD, a member company of Otsuka, to further the development of two of our families of novel psychedelic compounds. We look forward to leveraging their extensive experience in drug development and CNS indications to accelerate and de-risk our development pathway as we prepare to launch clinical trials,” said James Lanthier, chief executive officer of Mindset. “There is a high unmet need for innovative treatments of mental illness. This collaboration further validates our belief that optimized and patentable next-generation psychedelic compounds will be the future of treatments for mental illness.”
Mr. Richard Patricio, chairman of Mindset’s board, added, “This transformational transaction is a validation of what our team has accomplished over the last several years. We are ecstatic that Otsuka has chosen to collaborate with Mindset in the novel psychedelic drug development space and see this as a pivotal moment in Mindset’s maturation. Our team is excited to work closely with MSRD to help meet the unmet needs of millions of people worldwide suffering with a variety of mental disorders. The future is truly exciting.”
About Mindset Pharma
Mindset Pharma Inc. is a drug discovery and development company focused on creating optimized and patentable next-generation psychedelic medicines to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders with unmet needs. Mindset was established in order to develop next generation pharmaceutical assets that leverage the breakthrough therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. Mindset is developing several novel families of next generation psychedelic compounds, as well as an innovative process to chemically synthesize psilocybin as well as its own proprietary compounds. For further information on Mindset, please visit our website at www.mindsetpharma.com
.About the McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD)
Established in 2019, by the Otsuka pharmaceutical business in the U.S., the mission of MSRD is to search for, identify, and fund innovative early-stage research and development programs that have the potential to build the future portfolio of Otsuka products.
Otsuka is dedicated to investing in innovative and creative products in areas of unmet need and MSRD was created as an extension of this commitment to support and identify early-stage opportunities that can change the landscape of treatments for mental illness and renal disorders. For more information, please visit https://msrd-us.com/.
About Otsuka
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka–people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.
In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging areas of mental, renal, and cardiovascular health and has additional research programs in oncology and on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a “big venture” company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.
Otsuka established a presence in the U.S. in 1973 and today its U.S. affiliates include Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). These two companies’ 1,700 employees in the U.S. develop and commercialize medicines in the areas of mental health, nephrology, and cardiology, using cutting-edge technology to address unmet healthcare needs.
OPDC and OAPI are indirect subsidiaries of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 47,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 13.3 billion in 2020.
All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less traveled. Learn more about Otsuka in the U.S. at www.otsuka-us.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @OtsukaUS. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.’s global website is accessible at www.otsuka.co.jp/en/.
Contacts for Mindset Pharma:
Investor Contact:
Allison Soss/Tim Regan
KCSA Strategic Communications
Email: MindSet@kcsa.com
Phone: 212-896-1267/ 347-487-6788
Media Contact:
McKenna Miller
KCSA Strategic Communications
Email: MindSet@kcsa.com
Phone: 949-606-6585
Company Contact:
James Lanthier, CEO
Email: jlanthier@mindsetpharma.com
Jason Atkinson, VP, Corporate Development
Email: jatkinson@mindsetpharma.com
Phone: 416-479-4094
Media contacts for Otsuka:
Otsuka in U.S.
Jill Roman
Corporate Communications
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
+1 215 595 8424
Otsuka outside U.S.
Jeffrey Gilbert
Leader, Pharmaceutical PR
Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd.
+81 3 6717 1410
