AstraZeneca and Takeda have signed a deal potentially worth up to US$400 M to co-develop and co-commercialise AstraZeneca’s MEDI1341. MEDI1341 is a preclinical phase antibody targeting alpha-synuclein, a protein that aggregates in nerve cells and is thought to contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease. The agreement enables both companies to share development risk and potential rewards in a therapeutic area that has been beset with high profile failures in the past.