Novartis has signed an agreement with Oxford BioMedica, a company specializing in gene and cell therapy manufacturing, for the commercial and clinical supply of lentiviral vectors used to generate chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) products, including CTL019 (tisagenlecleucel), Novartis’ lead CAR T therapy.

Under the agreement, Oxford BioMedica could potentially receive in excess of $100 million from Novartis over the next three years. This amount includes a $10-million upfront payment, various performance incentives, and bioprocessing and development services. The supply agreement is for three years, extendable to five years subject to the agreement of both parties.

The agreement builds on the collaboration announced between Novartis and Oxford BioMedica in October 2014 under which Oxford BioMedica will receive undisclosed royalties on potential future sales of Novartis’s CAR-T products. In March 2017, Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration had accepted its biologics license application filing and granted priority review for CTL019.

Novartis is advancing biomanufacturing of CAR T products with other partners. In 2012, Novartis formed a collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) for CAR T therapy development. In February 2016, Novartis and Penn unveiled a center for advanced cellular therapeutics on the Penn campus, which was constructed in part through a $20-million investment from Novartis.

Source: Oxford BioMedica