Lilly Initiates Phase 1 Trial of Sitryx's SIT-011 in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders

Sitryx Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical firm specializing in cell metabolism regulation to create therapeutics for chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, has announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial by Eli Lilly & Company (Lilly) for SIT-011. This modulator program targets post-translational modifications to address chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The commencement of the trial follows Lilly's decision to exercise its exclusive worldwide license option to develop and commercialize SIT-011. As part of their agreement, Sitryx will receive a milestone payment in the multi-million dollar range and could potentially gain up to $570 million in further development and commercial milestones, along with tiered royalties.

The collaboration between Sitryx and Lilly began in March 2020, including a $50 million upfront payment from Lilly and a $10 million equity investment in Sitryx. This partnership has focused on developing first-in-class, small molecule therapies that target immunometabolism. The collaboration spans multiple programs, including SIT-011 and SIT-047, a one-carbon metabolism program that remains in development under Sitryx. Lilly retains the option to exclusively license SIT-047 for future endeavors. Overall, Sitryx stands to receive up to $1.1 billion in additional development and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties, from these programs.

Sitryx's CEO, Neil Weir, highlighted the significance of this milestone, emphasizing that it brings the company closer to its goal of developing advanced targeted therapies that address diseases with substantial unmet medical needs. He expressed excitement about the collaboration with Lilly, which has led to the promising candidate entering clinical stages. Weir underscored the potential of regulating metabolic pathways in rebalancing the immune system and driving disease remission and noted that Sitryx is well-positioned to advance its therapies into clinical development, thanks to robust scientific backing and investor support.

Ajay Nirula, Senior Vice President of Immunology at Lilly, echoed these sentiments, stating that taking SIT-011 into clinical trials marks an important step. He emphasized the potential of immunometabolism-targeting therapies to improve the treatment landscape for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Nirula remarked on the promising nature of this field and expressed enthusiasm about continuing the collaboration with Sitryx to push SIT-011 through clinical phases.

Sitryx is building a diverse and innovative pipeline by leveraging novel therapeutic approaches based on the modulation of immune cell function through metabolic changes. In September 2023, the company successfully raised $39 million in a funding round backed by premier healthcare investors. This capital is earmarked for progressing Sitryx's pipeline of immunometabolism-targeting therapies into clinical trials.

Sitryx was founded in 2018 and has since received over $75 million in funding from a consortium of international investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Oxford Science Enterprises, Longwood Fund, Lilly, and GSK. The company is based in Oxford, UK, and continues to advance a range of projects in various stages of drug discovery.