GSK, iTeos Therapeutics in $2-Bn Pact for Immuno-Oncology Drug
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and iTeos Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have agreed to co-develop and co-commercialize iTeos’ immuno-oncology drug candidate, EOS-448, in a deal worth up to $2.075 billion ($625 million upfront and up to an additional $1.45 billion in milestone payments).
EOS-448 is an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody currently in Phase I for advanced solid tumors, and GSK and iTeos plan to start combination studies of EOS-448 with GSK’s Jemperli dostarlimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in 2022. TIGIT (T-cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and ITIM domains) is an immune checkpoint receptor and is being evaluated alone and in combination therapies across a range of cancer types, including solid tumors.
Under the agreement, iTeos will receive an upfront payment of $625 million and will be eligible to receive up to an additional $1.45 billion in milestone payments, should the EOS-448 program achieve certain development and commercial milestones. The companies will share responsibility and costs for the global development of EOS-448 and will jointly commercialize and equally split profits in the US. Outside of the US, GSK will receive an exclusive license for commercialization, and iTeos will receive tiered royalty payments. The collaboration agreement is conditional upon customary conditions including review by the appropriate regulatory agencies under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.
Separately, GSK provided an update on its other immuno-oncology drug candidates. GSK’608, an anti-CD96 being developed in collaboration with 23andMe, is in Phase I as a monotherapy and in combination with dostarlimab. GSK expects to submit an investigational new drug application for GSK’562, licensed as SRF-813 from Surface Oncology, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company, by mid-2022.
Source: GlaxoSmithKline and iTeos Therapeutics