GSK, Alector enter USD 2.2 billion deal for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's drugs

The collaboration also aligns with London-listed GSK's efforts to build a robust pipeline of drugs, as it prepares to spin off its large consumer healthcare division as a separate company. 

Alector will receive $700 million upfront from GSK and could receive up to $1.5 billion more payments tied to drug development-related milestones and royalties.

GSK and Alector will develop two of the U.S. company's experimental treatments that target a protein called progranulin, to fight off neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which affect the nervous system and can cause problems with regular mental and physical functioning.

"Working with Alector's world class scientists will allow us to investigate the potential of these immuno-neurology therapies," said Hal Barron, chief scientific officer and president of R&D at GSK.

Progranulin is found on the GRN gene and is a key regulator of immune activity in the brain. Studies have found that mutations in this gene are tied to several neurodegenerative disorders, making progranulin a target for new treatments.

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