Boehringer Ingelheim Partners with Enleofen to Develop First-in-Class Anti-IL-11 Therapies for a Range of Fibrotic Diseases
9.1.2020 15:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Boehringer Ingelheim and Enleofen Bio Pte. Ltd. (Enleofen) announced today the acquisition of worldwide exclusive rights to Enleofen’s preclinical interleukin-11 (IL-11) platform by Boehringer Ingelheim to develop first-in-class therapies across a broad range of fibro-inflammatory diseases. The new partnership combines Boehringer Ingelheim’s leading expertise and comprehensive pipeline in fibrotic diseases with Enleofen’s world-leading expertise in IL-11 biology and the company’s extensive range of therapeutic antibodies targeting this pathway.
“The impressive preclinical studies at Enleofen have revealed the potential of IL-11 blockade to treat a broad range of diseases,” said Clive R. Wood, Ph.D., Corporate Senior Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are excited to have these monoclonal antibodies in our pipeline and have the opportunity to accelerate their path to many patients whose needs are not met by current treatments.”
IL-11 is a cytokine, a protein certain cells of the body use to communicate, and plays a key role in fibro-inflammatory conditions. Blocking IL-11 action has been shown to inhibit disease across many organs (liver, lung, kidney, retina, bowel, heart and skin). In preclinical studies, antibody-based IL-11 antagonists were able to prevent and reverse inflammation and fibrosis, and restore organ function.
Enleofen is a spin out company from the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) at SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), Singapore and exclusively licensed a suite of patents and number of antibody products when it was founded in 2017, from the AMC. Subsequent to this, Enleofen has built an extensive anti-IL-11 antibody platform and advanced its drug development programs towards the clinic. Boehringer Ingelheim will now develop this platform further and plans to work jointly with scientists at the AMC to accelerate the platform into clinical development. The initial focus will be on novel therapies for patients with NASH and ILDs, two of Boehringer Ingelheim’s core disease focus areas, with a potential to expand into further fibro-inflammatory conditions based on IL-11’s central role in disease.
“Enleofen is very excited to engage Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in anti-fibrotic therapy R&D to develop further anti-IL-11 therapies to begin to address the unmet medical needs of patients worldwide,” said Prof Stuart Cook, Director and co-founder of Enleofen. “The preclinical data across a range of conditions are unprecedented and this new approach of targeting IL-11 could be a game changer”.
The acquisition of the IL-11 program from Enleofen strengthens Boehringer Ingelheim’s pipeline portfolio, which combines approaches that are effective across multiple fibrotic diseases with disease-specific approaches to achieve greater therapeutic effect and builds on the experience gained with nintedanib in fibrotic lung diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim will be solely responsible for the clinical, regulatory and commercial development of the licensed therapies. Under the terms of the agreement, Enleofen may receive earn out payments in excess of one billion USD per product in upfront and success-based development and commercialization milestones.
For references and notes to editors, please visit:
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/fibrotic-diseases-partnership-enleofen
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200109005346/en/
Contact information
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Media + PR
P: +49 6132 77-90815
reinhard.malin@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Linda Ruckel
Associate Director, Media and Corporate Reputation
Boehringer Ingelheim U.S.
Media + PR
P: + 203-791-6672
linda.ruckel@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Enleofen
Charu Srivastava
charu@redhill.asia
+65 91810614
Mariyam Haider
mariyam@redhill.asia
+65 86056752
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Zambon Announces European Commission Approval of Hopledo® for Adults with Parkinson's Disease and Moderate to Severe Motor Fluctuations28.8.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Press release
Zambon today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Hopledo® (modified-release levodopa/carbidopa) for the treatment of adult patients with Parkinson’s disease and moderate to severe motor fluctuations who have not been sufficiently stabilized with oral levodopa/dopa decarboxylase (DDC) inhibitor-based treatment regimens. Zambon expects to begin the phased introduction of Hopledo® across European markets starting October 2026. The company is working closely with healthcare authorities and other stakeholders to support timely access for people with Parkinson’s disease who continue to experience moderate to severe motor fluctuations despite current oral therapies. Hopledo® is a first-in-class, oral, modified-release formulation of levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD) approved for the treatment of motor fluctuations of Parkinson’s disease, the fastest growing neurological condition in the world according to the World Health Organization1. Despite availab
MTG-I2 Safely in Orbit, Unlocking Faster and Sharper Weather Monitoring Across Europe28.8.2026 11:16:00 EEST | Press release
The Meteosat Third Generation Imager 2 satellite (MTG-I2) has successfully passed its first critical post-launch milestones, completing the first full Meteosat Third Generation constellation in orbit. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260828243790/en/ Credit: Arianespace livestream The imager satellite MTG-I2 is safely in orbit and operating as expected following its successful launch yesterday at 22:11 CEST on board an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Our teams have established communication with the spacecraft, which has also deployed its solar panels to ensure its autonomous production of energy. MTG-I2 is in perfect shape to start its Launch and Early Operations Phase that will bring it to a higher orbit, 36 000km above Earth over the following two weeks, where a longer period of calibration and validation of its instruments will begin. This summer’s extreme weather and wildfires hav
New Daiichi Sankyo Data Underscore the Effect of Bempedoic Acid in the Real-World Management of Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular risk28.8.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Daiichi Sankyo (TSE:4568) today announced new results from the MILOS study that demonstrate the real-world impact of bempedoic acid administered either alone or as a fixed-dose combination with ezetimibe, in the management of dyslipidaemia. Presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026 in Munich, the findings show that the clinically relevant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) achieved within the first year of treatment are estimated to translate into clinically meaningful reductions in 10-year cardiovascular (CV) risk.1 The data further reinforce the clinical value of bempedoic acid, and its fixed-dose combination with ezetimibe, across a diverse range of patient subtypes, regardless of gender and glycaemic profile (diabetes, pre-diabetes, or normoglycemia).2,3 Key findings from the new analyses of the MILOS study include: 10-year CV risk estimate reduction: An analysis of 960 at-risk patients estimated that one year of bempedoic acid-add-on ther
TVS Motor Company Appoints Peyman Kargar as Director and Chief Executive Officer28.8.2026 10:31:00 EEST | Press release
TVS Motor Company, part of TVS VENU and a leading global manufacturer of two and three-wheelers, today announced the appointment of Peyman Kargar as Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 27, 2027. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260827012301/en/ Peyman Kargar Peyman will succeed K. N. Radhakrishnan, who will continue in his role until then to ensure a seamless transition. Following the transition, Radhakrishnan will serve as Non-Executive Director up to the date of the ensuing AGM scheduled in July 2027. He has been a tremendous leader and played a pivotal role in the growth of TVS Motor Company. The leadership transition comes as TVS Motor Company builds on strong business performance and continues to consolidate its position in India and expand its global presence. In FY2025-26, the company achieved a record performance, selling 5.9 million vehicles globally and delivering 30% revenue growt
Philips and Imricor Launch Cardiac Interventional MR Lab Solution, Expanding Longstanding Collaboration27.8.2026 22:27:00 EEST | Press release
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and Imricor Medical Systems (ASX: IMR), a pioneer and world-leading developer of MR-compatible products for interventional MR procedures, today announced a new Interventional MR (iMR) lab solution for Philips 1.5T MR. The first commercially available configuration* combines Philips’ 1.5T MRI platform and Imricor's portfolio of iMR systems and consumables, enabling an MR-guided workflow for cardiac intervention, without compromising on MR field strength. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260827693715/en/ Meeting the need for greater tissue insight during cardiac intervention Cardiac arrhythmias affect millions of people worldwide, and catheter ablation is an established and increasingly utilized treatment for many complex cardiac arrhythmias. Yet today, these procedures continue to rely primarily on X-ray fluoroscopy, which provides only
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom