Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
A promising IPF bolt-on that blew up in the lab: Boehringer paid roughly $50M upfront for Bridge Biotherapeutics' autotaxin inhibitor BBT-877 to extend its Ofev franchise, only to terminate the collaboration in late 2020 after mutagenicity findings sent rights reverting back to Bridge.
Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Boehringer is paying $50M upfront for an early-stage IPF asset as it scouts a follow-up to its blockbuster Ofev franchise, betting on a novel autotaxin…
Bridge regains all global rights to BBT-877 after Boehringer requests additional toxicity testing and the parties cannot align on a development path forward.
Boehringer Ingelheim and Bridge Biotherapeutics mutually terminated the BBT-877 collaboration after preclinical toxicity findings; rights revert to Bridge,…
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Boehringer Ingelheim entered a global collaboration and license agreement for Bridge Biotherapeutics' Phase 1 autotaxin inhibitor BBT-877 in fibrosing interstitial lung diseases including IPF. Bridge received approximately EUR 45M ($50M) in upfront/near-term payments and is eligible for up to EUR 1.1B+ ($1.18B) in milestones plus tiered up-to-double-digit royalties. Deal terminated in late 2020 after BBT-877 mutagenicity findings.
34K US cases/yr · $3.1B Global IPF treatment market 2024
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown cause characterized by scarring (fibrosis) of lung tissue, leading to declining lung function and respiratory failure. It primarily affects adults over 60, with median survival of 3-5 years from diagnosis. Current antifibrotics slow but do not halt disease progression, leaving substantial unmet need for novel mechanisms.
The IPF market is anchored by two antifibrotics: Boehringer Ingelheim's own Ofev (nintedanib), a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and Roche/Genentech's Esbriet (pirfenidone), a pleiotropic anti-fibrotic. Both slow FVC decline by ~50% but neither halts disease progression and both carry significant GI/hepatic tolerability burdens. Esbriet faced generic pirfenidone entry (Cipla, Sandoz, Lupin) post-2019, eroding pricing. BBT-877 represented a novel autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor mechanism—blocking lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling implicated in fibrogenesis—and would have been a first-in-class oral add-on or replacement option for Boehringer's franchise alongside Ofev. The deal was strategically designed as an Ofev follow-up to defend BI's IPF leadership ahead of 2025 EU patent expiry. The 2020 termination over preclinical mutagenicity findings (Ames test signal) returned rights to Bridge and left BI to pivot toward its internal PDE4B inhibitor nerandomilast (BI-1015550), now in Phase 3. The deal collapse reset the IPF novel-MoA landscape, with autotaxin programs from Galapagos (ziritaxestat, also failed) and others subsequently advancing or terminating. See https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/looking-for-ofev-follow-up-boehringer-picks-up-bridge-biotherapeutics-ipf-med-for-50m
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / Bridge Biotherapeutics, Inc. (this deal) | 2019 | $1.2B | — |
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / Amgen Inc. (Fremont manufacturing facility) | 2011 | — | 77 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / NBE Therapeutics | 2020 | $1.5B | 28 |
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / AMAL Therapeutics SA | 2019 | $366M | — |
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / NBE-Therapeutics AG | 2020 | $1.4B | — |
| Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH / Yuhan Corporation | 2019 | $870M | — |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated / Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2017 | $250M | 85 |
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