Nestlé Health Science, the healthcare nutrition business of the Nestlé Group, has agreed to license a protein engineering platform, CodeEvolver, from Codexis, a Redwood City, California-headquartered protein engineering and biocatalyst company.

The collaboration includes an option for the global development of Codexis’ orally delivered enzyme, CDX-6114, for managing phenylketonuria, an orphan metabolic disorder.  In addition, Nestlé Health Science has secured access to the protein engineering platform for discovering biotherapeutics for other metabolic disorders and for developing enzyme products for its medical nutrition and consumer care business areas.

Under the agreement, Nestlé Health Science will make an upfront payment of $14 million. Codexis will be eligible to receive clinical development, approval, and commercial milestone payments related to CDX-6114 as well as tiered royalties on product sales.  Codexis will be responsible for the clinical development costs for CDX-6114 up to and including Phase I in healthy volunteers.  Thereafter, Nestlé Health Science will have an option to obtain an exclusive global license to CDX-6114 and will be responsible for all future development and commercialization.  Beyond CDX-6114, Nestlé Health Science secures a right of first negotiation over enzyme therapies for inborn errors of amino acid metabolism, which Codexis has in its pipeline or may discover over the next five years.

Source: Codexis