Carine Boustany, Ph.D., head of immunology and respiratory diseases research at Boehringer Ingelheim, said autoimmune and inflammatory diseases “remain areas where innovation is urgently needed.” \n Boehringer Ingelheim has penned a $500 million deal with a British biotech for a preclinical program the German pharma hopes could offer a fresh oral treatment approach to a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.In return for the exclusive global license to Sitryx’s small molecule inhibitor program, the Oxford, England-based biotech could receive upfront and milestone payments in excess of $500 million, although the companies didn’t offer a breakdown of the financials. In addition, Sitryx will receive a slice of the royalties should a drug make it to market.Boehringer is banking on the program offering a new oral and precision approach to modulating disease-driving immune cells, the pharma explained in a Feb. 26 release.Autoimmune-focused Sitryx, which has a presence in Boston, launched in 2018 with the backing of GSK and SV Health Investors. Since then, Sitryx had been exploring the role of metabolic pathways in the function of immune cells, with Eli Lilly handing the biotech $50 million in 2020 for the rights to up to four autoimmune drugs. The pharma later took one of these drugs, an itaconate mimetic dubbed SYX-1042, into a phase 1 study before handing the asset back in August 2025 citing “strategic considerations and reprioritization of Lilly’s pain and inflammation portfolio.”The returned SYX-1042 is now the most advanced drug in Sitryx’s portfolio, followed by SYX-5219, a PKM2 modulator in phase 1 development for atopic dermatitis. The biotech’s preclinical pipeline includes a GLS1 inhibitor for allergic asthma and an SIK2 inhibitor for ulcerative colitis. Sitryx CEO Iain Kilty, Ph.D., said today’s deal with Boehringer marks a “major milestone for our company and is a clear validation of the strength of our pipeline and our expertise translating immunometabolic targets into meaningful therapeutic candidates.”“We are proud to out-license this preclinical program to Boehringer Ingelheim whose global capabilities in immunology and drug development will help position this program to deliver meaningful benefits to patients worldwide,” Kilty added.This morning’s agreement with Sityrx continues a busy few months of dealmaking for Boehringer. This year alone has already seen the German drugmaker pen a 1.05 billion euro ($1.26 billion) biobucks deal for Simcere’s preclinical inflammatory bowel disease bispecific antibody as well as a $120 million kidney-focused collaboration with Variant Bio.Meanwhile, the pharma’s existing clinical-stage immunology pipeline includes the likes of the sGC activator avenciguat for systemic sclerosis and a TREM-1 antagonist for ulcerative colitis.Carine Boustany, Ph.D., head of immunology and respiratory diseases research at Boehringer, said autoimmune and inflammatory diseases “remain areas where innovation is urgently needed.” “Sitryx’s small molecule inhibitor program brings forward a promising new mechanism that aligns with our focus on advancing first-in-class approaches,” Boustany added in the release. “Together with Sitryx, we are committed to translating this science into therapies that can meaningfully improve patients’ lives.”
