Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc.
Achieved the First Milestone in Drug Discovery Support to Otsuka PharmaceuticalMay 27, 2024 – Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc. (HQ: Fujisawa-city, Kanagawa;“Axcelead DDP”) announces that the first milestone has been achieved in the drug discovery
project to support Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (HQ: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President:Makoto Inoue; “Otsuka Pharmaceutical”) in the area of central nervous system diseases,
which had been started in June 2020.
Axcelead DDP provided promising lead compounds which were created through establishedevaluation platforms and in-depth modification of seed compounds derived from the INDEnabling Projects* owned by Axcelead DDP, to Otsuka Pharmaceutical. Given further drug
discovery research activities at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, a compound was discovered to meetthe pre-determined criteria of pharmacological properties, resulting in the first milestone.
With this achievement, Axcelead DDP will receive a milestone fee under the agreement.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical will significantly accelerate its drug discovery by leveraging the INDEnabling Projects.
“We are pleased that the new drug candidate discovered from our unique asset, the INDEnabling Projects, has met Otsuka Pharmaceutical's expectations. I believe that thismilestone achievement demonstrates that the IND-Enabling Projects can make unique values
for customers,” said Kengo Okada, PhD, Representative Director and CEO of Axcelead DDP.
“We have gained confidence in the ability of the IND-Enabling Projects to deliver high-quality
new drug candidate compounds in a short period of time, continuing to contribute toimproving the efficiency of drug discovery research for those who take challenges around theworld.”*About IND-Enabling Projects

The IND-Enabling Projects (Formerly named A-HiT projects) are an asset owned by Axcelead
DDP, which have multiple hit or lead compounds and a primary evaluation system for specificdrug targets (hereinafter “target”). Currently, Axcelead DDP has more than 150 target
assets, and about 60% of the projects are in the drug discovery research stage beyond leadgeneration. More than half of these targets have not yet launched marketed drugs and arenovel targets with potential to be first-in-class projects. The target list also represents awealth of opportunities for drug repositioning programs beyond the assumed indications.
Additional features include the availability of co-crystal structures in about 30% of thetargets, which can be expected to accelerate compound optimization. By leveraging the INDEnabling Projects, a significant reduction in the period of initial drug discovery steps and cost
reduction can be expected.
About Axcelead DDP
Axcelead DDP is Japan’s first drug discovery solution provider established in July 2017 byinheriting the drug discovery platform from Takeda Pharmaceutical. Screening, ｍedicinal
chemistry, pharmacology/biology, DMPK, and safety research functions are integrated into
one center with a state-of-the-art research base and original compound library. This enables
Axcelead DDP to create drug candidates by utilizing the vast amount of past drug discovery
research data. By leveraging these strengths, we provide solutions to various challenges
faced in the process from exploratory research to clinical in drug discovery. For more
information, please visit https://axcelead-us.com/