Global Pharma Briefs: News from BI, CureVac, Atriva & Alladapt
A roundup of news from Germany (Boehringer Ingelheim and CureVac) and the US (Artiva Biotherapeutics and Alladapt Immunotherapeutics).
Germany
BI, CureVac To End mRNA Cancer Vaccine Pact
CureVac, a Tubingen, Germany-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, reports Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) plans to terminate the company’s collaboration for BI’s BI1361849, a mRNA-derived lung cancer vaccine. CureVan reported the termination as part of its second-quarter 2021 earnings results released this week (August 16, 2021). The termination will become effective in November 2021.m
The companies had formed the collaboration in 2014 in an a EUR 465-million deal (approximately $600 million at the time) representing an upfront payment of EUR 35 million ($45 million) and milestone payments of EUR 430 million (approximately $556 million) and royalties on sales.
The program, targeting specific immune responses against tumor-associated antigens frequently overexpressed in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), applied an older protamine formulation technology, which reflected the state of the technology development at the time of the collaboration. A Phase I/II clinical trial in NSCLC applying BI1361849 as a combination therapy is ongoing. Both companies are currently assessing options to continue a collaboration on CureVac’s RNA technology platform based on lipid nanoparticle-based formulations.
Source: CureVac
US
Artiva Plans Process Development, Mfg Facility for NK Cell-Therapies
Artiva Biotherapeutics, a bio/pharmaceutical developing primary allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, is expanding its facilities in San Diego, California with plans for a new research and manufacturing facility for NK cell-therapies.
The new 52,000-square-foot facility will include research and process development laboratories and a multi-suite GMP manufacturing center to support NK and CAR-NK cell production for Artiva’s pipeline development and clinical trial material supply. The facility build-out is underway (as reported on August 12, 2021) and is anticipated to be completed in 2022.
The new facility and capabilities will be in addition to Artiva’s research and manufacturing activities with its partner, GC LabCell, a South Korea-based manufacturer of cell therapies. Through that partnership, Artiva has access to a 300,000-square-foot cell center for research and process development labs and a 50,000-square-foot GMP cell-therapy manufacturing facility in Seoul, South Korea.
Source: Artiva Biotherapeutics
Alladapt Initiates Build-out of New Mfg Facility
Alladapt Immunotherapeutics, a clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company prescription therapeutics to address IgE-mediated food allergies, has initiated the build-out of a new manufacturing facility to support future production of its lead product candidate, ADP101.
ADP101 is an investigational oral immunotherapy in Phase I/II development to treat mono- and multi-food allergies. The 53,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility is located in the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
Source: Alladapt Immunotherapeutics
