Lonza Group Ltd. has agreed to manufacture Prevail Therapeutics Inc.'s gene therapy programs for neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease, at a manufacturing facility in Houston.
New York-based Prevail and Switzerland's Lonza have previously worked together to develop Prevail's two lead drug programs. The companies have now expanded their collaboration to include the manufacturing of certain drug programs for neurodegenerative diseases at Lonza's gene therapy manufacturing facility.
Prevail is developing gene therapies based on Adeno-associated viruses, or AAV, which are used to modify genes in cells to cure diseases. Viruses used in this process are harmless as most people carry them already.
The companies said the new terms of the collaboration will apply to Prevail's pipeline, which includes therapies for Parkinson's disease and neuronopathic Gaucher disease, which causes seizures and poor development. Prevail's future AAV programs may also be included in the manufacturing agreement.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
