Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Click Therapeutics have announced a significant expansion of their strategic collaboration, focusing on developing a new prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) for schizophrenia patients. The deal, valued at up to $460 million, aims to address critical unmet needs in schizophrenia treatment through innovative digital solutions.
Addressing Critical Treatment Gaps
The new mobile application under development combines multiple clinically validated therapeutic interventions that can be used either as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with pharmaceutical therapy. This initiative directly addresses a significant gap in schizophrenia care, where access to recommended psychosocial intervention therapies remains limited.
Schizophrenia, ranking among the top 15 causes of disability worldwide, presents complex challenges for patients and healthcare providers. Approximately half of all patients experience co-occurring mental and behavioral health disorders. The condition significantly impacts patients' perception of reality, affecting their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Building on Previous Success
The expanded partnership builds upon the existing collaboration established in September 2020, which has already demonstrated promising results. The CT-155 program has achieved all development milestones to date, generating supportive data across clinical learning studies as it approaches a registration study.
Under the terms of the agreement, Click Therapeutics will receive:
- An upfront payment
- Research and development funding
- Clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments totaling up to $460 million
- Tiered royalties on commercial sales
Innovation in Digital Mental Health
Dr. Nedim Pipic, Corporate Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head CNS at Boehringer Ingelheim, emphasized the strategic importance of this expansion: "This brings us an important step closer to our aim of developing holistic mental health solutions for patients in need. It opens new horizons on our journey towards advancing mental healthcare by combining pharmacotherapies with newly emerging digital technologies."
The collaboration specifically targets negative symptoms in schizophrenia, including cognitive deficits and limited social functioning, which often remain inadequately treated with current therapies. Dr. Cornelia Dorner-Ciossek, Digital Health Lead at BI, noted that the project addresses symptoms for which no scalable treatment approaches currently exist.
Future Impact and Potential
Austin Speier, Chief Strategy Officer at Click Therapeutics, highlighted the potential impact of the expanded collaboration: "This growing collaboration is a testament to the progress we have achieved so far working together and creates the inspiring opportunity to expand CT-155 into a seamless digital therapy suite that can deliver meaningful outcomes to people living with schizophrenia."
The partnership represents a significant step forward in digital therapeutics for mental health, combining BI's pharmaceutical expertise with Click Therapeutics' digital innovation capabilities. This collaboration could potentially transform the treatment landscape for schizophrenia patients by providing more accessible and comprehensive care options.
