Wyeth, a provider of pharmaceutical and biotechnology products, said it signed a research collaboration and license agreement with the Evry, France-based Nautilus Biotech. As per the agreement, the companies will collaborate to discover and develop novel recombinant Factor IX proteins for the treatment of haemophilia B.

As per the terms and conditions of the agreement, Nautilus Biotech is expected to apply its proprietary technology to improve the duration of action of recombinant haemophilia B therapy. For this the company will slow the breakdown of the protein in the body by making minimal but specific changes to amino acids sequences.

However, Wyeth specified that the agreement allows it to develop, manufacture and market products derived from the collaborative research, while Nautilus Biotech will receive only an upfront payment, research and development fees and milestone payments.

The Madison, New Jersey-based Wyeth noted that haemophilia is a rare, inherited blood-clotting disorder that affects approximately 130 thousand people worldwide. People with haemophilia are deficient in one of the key proteins, either Factor VIII (haemophilia A) or Factor IX (haemophilia B), that are vital in the clotting cascade to prevent bleeding. Hence patients with haemophilia A or haemophilia B are dependent on protein replacement therapy with Factor VIII or Factor IX, respectively.