Conduit Pharmaceuticals And Manoira Partner To Expand AZD1656 Into Animal Osteoarthritis Applications

Conduit Pharmaceuticals has entered a joint development agreement with Manoira Corporation, a specialty animal health company, to explore new veterinary applications for its clinical-stage glucokinase activators, AZD1656 and AZD5658. The agreement will allow Manoira to assess the therapeutic potential of these compounds, originally developed for human health, in animal health conditions, with a focus on osteoarthritis in companion animals. The collaboration will generate valuable translational data, supporting Conduit’s ongoing human clinical programs.

"This transformative agreement with Manoira exemplifies our strategy of creating value through innovative collaborations. By leveraging Manoira's reformulation expertise in animal health, we are accelerating AZD1656's development, unlocking new commercial opportunities, and generating critical data to drive our human clinical programs - all while maintaining full control of our intellectual property relating to AZD1656 and AZD5658. The inclusion of AZD5658 further demonstrates our intention to explore cross-species value through targeted, capital-efficient programs. Together, these efforts position Conduit as a cross-species leader in innovative, cost-efficient drug development," said Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, Chair of Conduit Pharmaceuticals. 

The partnership allows Conduit to retain full ownership of all data and intellectual property related to human applications while utilizing Manoira’s expertise and funding for the veterinary-focused studies. Early studies from AstraZeneca suggest glucokinase activators could offer therapeutic benefits in osteoarthritis, bolstering the rationale for this dual-track approach. Manoira also plans to evaluate a novel co-crystal formulation combining its CBDA compound with Conduit’s assets for enhanced therapeutic impact in animals.

This collaboration supports Conduit’s strategic goals by providing cost-efficient, cross-species insights to accelerate human drug development while tapping into the $15 billion global animal health market. Manoira will fully fund the veterinary evaluations. In exchange, Conduit will issue $500,000 worth of shares to Manoira (154,799 shares at $3.23/share). The agreement further strengthens Conduit’s pipeline and diversifies its growth potential without compromising its control over core assets. Manoira is controlled by Dr. Andrew Regan, who is also Conduit’s CEO.