SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals has entered into a global licensing and collaboration agreement with Novartis Pharma AG to advance its next-generation antibody program for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Under the agreement, Novartis receives an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialise SciNeuro’s novel amyloid-beta–targeted antibody program, which uses the company’s proprietary blood–brain barrier shuttle technology designed to improve delivery of therapeutic agents into the brain.
The platform is intended to enhance the effectiveness of Alzheimer’s treatments by overcoming one of the major challenges in neurodegenerative drug development — limited penetration of drugs into brain tissue.
SciNeuro and Novartis will jointly work on early-stage development of the program, after which Novartis will take full responsibility for global clinical development, regulatory filings and commercialisation.
The antibody program includes newly discovered candidates engineered to target amyloid beta, a key pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, and is positioned as a potential differentiated approach compared with existing anti-amyloid therapies.
As part of the deal, SciNeuro will receive an upfront payment of USD 165 million. The company is also eligible to receive research funding and milestone payments that could total up to USD 1.5 billion, tied to development, regulatory and commercial achievements, along with tiered royalties on future sales.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory clearances, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the US Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
The agreement strengthens Novartis’ neuroscience pipeline while providing SciNeuro with a global partner to scale its Alzheimer’s disease program through late-stage development and worldwide markets.
