Finch Therapeutics Group, Inc. announced that it will regain full development and commercial rights to FIN-524 (previously known as TAK-524) and FIN-525 from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Following a review of its pipeline, Takeda informed Finch of its decision to terminate its collaboration with Finch, effective November 17, 2022, resulting in the return to Finch of worldwide rights to develop and commercialize FIN-524, FIN-525, and any other microbiome product candidates for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). FIN-524 and FIN-525 are investigational, orally administered targeted microbiome product candidates composed of bacterial strains selected for their potential immuno-modulatory properties.

Finch has received more than $44 million from Takeda during the course of the collaboration, including an upfront payment of $10 million, $4 million in milestone payments, and more than $30 million in reimbursement of research and development expenses. Upon termination, Finch will receive a royalty-free license to all data and intellectual property generated during the collaboration, including full rights to a large library of characterized bacterial isolates, data from multiple ex vivo and in vivo studies, a suite of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assays, and a significant body of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) data generated during the investigational new drug (IND)-enabling phase of development.