Partnering News: Novartis, BMS, BI, AstraZeneca & More
A roundup of bio/pharmaceutical partnering news from Novartis/PeptiDream, BMS/Repertoire, Ipsen/Skyhawk, Boehringer Ingelheim/Ochre Bio, Astellas/Poseida Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk/Metaphore Biotechnologies, AstraZeneca/Cellectis, Regeneron/Mammoth Biosciences, GSK/BioVersys, Takeda/Astellas, Eli Lilly and Company/5 Prime Sciences, Bayer/Evotec, BMS/Scenic Biotech and Eisai/BioArctic.
* Novartis, PeptiDream in Expanded $2.9-Bn Peptide-Conjugation Pact
* BMS, Repertoire Immune Medicines in $1.9-Bn Vaccine Pact for Autoimmune Diseases
* Ispen, Skyhawk in $1.8-Bn Small-Molecule RNA Pact for Rare Neurological Diseases
* BI, Ochre Bio in $1-Bn-Plus RNA Research Pact for Chronic Liver Diseases
* Astellas, Poseida Therapeutics In $600-M Cell-Therapy Oncology Pact
* Novo Nordisk, Metaphore in $600-M Obesity Drug Research Pact
* AstraZeneca Closes on $140-M Equity Stake in Cell- & Gene-Therapy Company Cellectis
* Regeneron Takes Equity Stake in Mammoth Biosciences in CRISPR-Drug Pact
* GSK Takes Equity Stake in Bio/Pharma Company BioVersys
* Takeda, Astellas, & Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Form JV for Drug Discovery
* Lilly, 5 Prime Sciences in Cardio-Metabolic Disease Drug Pact
* Bayer, Evotec in Cardio Precision Medicines Pact
* BMS, Scenic Biotech in Research Pact for Drug Targeting
* Eisai, BioArctic Partner for Alzheimer’s Drug Candidate
Novartis, PeptiDream in Expanded $2.9-Bn Peptide-Conjugation Pact
Novartis and PeptiDream, a Kanagawa, Japan-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced an expansion of their peptide discovery collaboration, in a deal worth up to $2.9 billion ($180 million upfront and $2.7 billion in milestone payments).
Under the agreement, PeptiDream will use its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System technology to identify and optimize macrocyclic peptides against targets selected by Novartis, for potential conjugation to radionuclides (to which Novartis refers to as “radioligand therapies” or “RLTs”) or other applications for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
Under the agreement, PeptiDream will receive an upfront payment of $180 million from Novartis. In addition, PeptiDream is eligible to receive up to $2.71 billion in payments based on the achievement of specified development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties on net sales of any such products arising from the collaboration. This new agreement expands upon the peptide-drug conjugate collaboration the companies announced in 2019.
Closing of the transaction is subject to the parties’ receipt of any necessary consents or approvals, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
Source: PeptiDream
BMS, Repertoire Immune Medicines in $1.9-Bn Vaccine Pact for Autoimmune Disease
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Repertoire Immune Medicines, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered a multi-year strategic collaboration to develop tolerizing vaccines for up to three autoimmune diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.9 billion ($65 million upfront and $1.8 billion in milestone payments).
Repertoire Immune Medicines is involved in discovering the immune codes to design T cell receptor (TCR) bispecific molecules and mRNA cancer vaccines that selectively eliminate tumors in cancer patients and mRNA tolerizing vaccines that restore immune balance in patients with autoimmune disease. It develops mRNA tolerizing vaccines that are comprised of disease-relevant, tissue-specific epitopes that have been discovered using its proprietary DECODE platform. These epitopes are encoded by mRNA and encapsulated in a proprietary lipid nanoparticle together with an mRNA-encoded immune modulator. The company was founded in 2019 by Flagship Pioneering and operates from sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Zurich, Switzerland.
Under the agreement, Repertoire will lead all activities through to development candidate nomination, and BMS will lead clinical development, regulatory affairs, and commercialization of the tolerizing vaccines under an exclusive world-wide license. Repertoire will utilize its TCR-epitope discovery platform and its proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology to discover and develop the tolerizing vaccine development candidates. In addition, it will use its discovery platform to monitor immune responses to the tolerizing vaccines in patients during clinical development to provide insights into the pharmacodynamic effect of the vaccines.
Under the agreement, Repertoire will receive an upfront payment of $65 million, and up to $1.8 billion for achieving development, regulatory, and commercial milestones in addition to receiving tiered royalties.
Source: Repertoire Immune Medicines
Ispen, Skyhawk in $1.8-Bn Small-Molecule RNA Pact for Rare Neurological Diseases
Ipsen, a Paris-based bio/pharmaceutical company, and Skyhawk Therapeutics, a Boston-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have signed an exclusive worldwide collaboration to discover and develop small molecules that modulate RNA for rare neurological diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.8 billion.
The agreement includes an option pursuant to which Ipsen would acquire an exclusive license for the worldwide rights to develop successful development candidates (DC). Following successful DC nomination, Ipsen will be responsible for all activities. Skyhawk’s platform accelerates building RNA-targeting small molecules across several therapeutic areas, including rare neurological diseases.
Under the agreement Skyhawk is eligible to receive up to $1.8 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, including an upfront payment for the option and research collaboration, plus potential for tiered royalties.
Source: Ipsen
BI, Ochre Bio in $1-Bn-Plus RNA Research Pact for Chronic Liver Diseases
Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Ochre Bio, an Oxford, UK-based bio/pharmaceutical company developing mRNA medicines for under-treated chronic liver diseases, have formed a partnership focused on the discovery and development of regenerative treatments for chronic liver diseases (CLDs), such as late-stage metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) cirrhosis, in a deal worth up to $1 billion ($35 million upfront and $1 billion in milestone payments).
Within the partnership, Ochre Bio will use its proprietary discovery platform that combines machine learning with human Big Data, including advanced imaging and genomic phenotyping, as well as in-house RNA chemistry, and the ability to employ ex-vivo human-organ perfusion models. This will enable the identification, characterization, and validation of multiple regenerative targets for CLDs. BI aims to develop new treatments modulating regenerative targets with the potential to enhance the liver’s self-repair capabilities to prevent or reverse disease progression.
In this multi-year, multi-target collaboration, Ochre Bio will receive up to $35 million in upfront and near-term research-based milestone payments. Ochre may also receive milestones for clinical, regulatory, and commercial success as well as tiered royalties with an overall deal value with the potential to exceed $1 billion.
Source: Ochre Bio
Astellas, Poseida Therapeutics In $600-M Cell-Therapy Oncology Pact
Astellas Pharma and Poseida Therapeutics, a San Diego, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced that Xyphos Biosciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas, and Poseida have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement to develop programs by combining the cell-therapy platforms from each of the companies, in a deal worth up to $600 million ($50 million upfront and $550 million in milestone payments).
Poseida is advancing differentiated cell and gene therapies with the capacity to cure certain cancers and rare diseases. In oncology, its pipeline includes allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy product candidates for both solid and liquid tumors. Xyphos utilizes a proprietary technology platform that uses its proprietary convertibleCAR (convertible chimeric antigen receptor) in combination with its proprietary MicAbodies antibodies to target tumor cells. The convertibleCAR is targeted to tumor cells with a tumor-associated antigen-specific engineered antibody-like molecule (MicAbody) containing the engineered ligand.
Under the agreement, the companies plan to combine Poseida’s proprietary allogeneic CAR-T platform with Xyphos’ technology to create one Poseida-developed CAR-T construct to form the basis of two convertibleCAR product candidates targeting solid tumors. Xyphos will reimburse Poseida for costs incurred as part of the research agreement and will be responsible for the development and future commercialization of products generated from the collaboration. Poseida will receive $50 million upfront plus potential development and sales milestones and contingency payments of up to $550 million in total. Additionally, Poseida is eligible for up to low double-digit tiered royalties as a percentage of net sales.
Source: Astellas
Novo Nordisk, Metaphore in $600-M Obesity Drug Research Pact
Novo Nordisk and Metaphore Biotechnologies, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered a research collaboration to develop up to two therapeutics for obesity management in a deal worth up to $600 million.
The collaboration is signed under the broader strategic partnership between Novo Nordisk and Flagship Pioneering, Metaphore’s parent company, to develop a portfolio of treatment approaches for cardiometabolic and rare diseases. Pioneering Medicines, Flagship’s in-house drug development and partnerships unit, is responsible for leading the broader partnership together with Novo Nordisk’s Bio Innovation Hub, an R&D unit designed to accelerate the development of therapeutics via co-creation partnerships.
Metaphore will work jointly with Pioneering Medicines and Novo Nordisk to advance the programs through foundational activities and preclinical development after which Novo Nordisk could advance the programs into clinical studies.
The collaboration with Metaphore will use its Mimic platform, Metaphore’s bioplatform for drug discovery, with the goal to design multitarget therapeutics targeting the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and related biology, with the aim to create scalable, long-acting agents that will require infrequent dosing.
Under the agreement, Novo Nordisk may pay up to $600 million in upfront, development, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on annual net sales of licensed products, to be shared between Metaphore and Pioneering Medicines. Novo Nordisk will also reimburse R&D costs and participate in a future financing round for Metaphore.
Source: Metaphore Biotechnologies
AstraZeneca Closes on $140-M Equity Stake in Cell- & Gene-Therapy Company Cellectis
AstraZeneca has completed an equity investment with Cellectis, a Paris-based bio/pharmaceutical company, in a deal worth up to $840 million ($140 million equity stake and $700 million in milestone payments).
The equity investment and a research collaboration agreement, announced in November 2023, will use the Cellectis gene editing technologies and manufacturing capabilities to design up to 10 cell- and gene-therapy products for areas including oncology, immunology and rare diseases.
Under the agreement, a $140 million equity investment, at $5/share, has closed following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including Cellectis shareholders’ approval and regulatory clearances. Post-closing of this second investment, AstraZeneca holds a total equity stake of c.44% in Cellectis. AstraZeneca expects to continue to treat its investment in Cellectis as an associate.
Cellectis is also eligible to receive an investigational new drug (IND) option fee and development, regulatory and sales-related milestone payments, ranging from $70 million up to $220 million, per each of the 10 candidate products, plus tiered royalties.
AstraZeneca retains an option for a worldwide exclusive license for the candidate products developed under the research collaboration agreement, to be exercised before IND filing.
Source: AstraZeneca
Regeneron Takes Equity Stake in Mammoth Biosciences in CRISPR-Drug Pact
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a Tarrytown, New York-based bio/pharmaceutical company, and Mammoth Biosciences, a Brisbane, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced a collaboration to research, develop, and commercialize in vivo CRISPR-based gene-editing therapies for multiple tissues and cell types, under which Regeneron will take an equity stake in Mammoth Biosciences.
Regeneron is developing adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs) using antibody-based targeting to enhance delivery of genetic medicine payloads to specific tissues and cell types. Mammoth is developing ultracompact nucleases and associated gene-editing systems, with a variety of editing functionalities at a smaller size than other CRISPR-based systems, including Cas9 nucleases.
Under the agreement, Mammoth will receive $100 million, inclusive of $95 million in equity investment at signing, and an upfront payment, and is eligible to receive up to $370 million per target in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, and royalty rates ranging from single digits to mid-teens on future net sales of all collaboration products. In addition, Mammoth has the right to opt-in to co-funding and sharing profits on a majority of collaboration programs in lieu of receiving milestones and royalties. In exchange, for a period of five and a half years, Regeneron is obtaining broad access to Mammoth’s editing technologies, other than certain excluded targets, with the option to extend such access for an additional two years upon the payment of a research extension fee. The parties will jointly select and research collaboration targets, and then Regeneron will lead development and commercialization.
Source: Regeneron
GSK Takes Equity Stake in Bio/Pharma Company BioVersys
GSK and BioVersys AG, a Basel, Switzerland-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced the expansion of their collaboration to accelerate the clinical development of alpibectir (BVL-GSK098) for the treatment of tuberculosis. Under the new agreement, GSK will take an equity stake of CHF 12.3 million ($13.5 million) in BioVersys’ latest investment round.
Adding to further investments from existing and new investors, GSK’s stake extends the Series C financing by CHF 12.3 million ($13.5 million), resulting in total proceeds of CHF 44.9 million ($49.5 million) for the Series C round to date (as reported on May 7, 2024). The additional proceeds will enable the further clinical development of BioVersys’ portfolio which also includes BV100, a potential breakthrough hospital antibiotic with a new mode of action targeting Acinetobacter baumannii, the most drug-resistant bacterial pathogen.
Source: BioVersys
Takeda, Astellas, & Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Form JV for Drug Discovery
Takeda, Astellas, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, have signed a master agreement to establish a joint venture company dedicated to the incubation of early drug-discovery programs, primarily originating from Japan and toward the creation of therapeutics.
The joint venture company will focus on the following three aspects:
- Advancing drug-discovery programs, primarily originating in Japan into the global pharmaceutical market;
- Incubating drug-discovery technology and fostering entrepreneurship; and
- Creating drug-discovery start-up companies.
In addition to establishing the joint venture company, Takeda and Astellas will provide support to the joint-venture company. The joint-venture company plans to begin incubation activities by collaboratively working with academia, pharmaceutical companies, and start-up companies across Japan to enable access to early drug-discovery programs.
The JV is being funded with an initial capitalization of approximately JPY 600 million ($3.9 million), including capital reserve. Toshio Fujimoto, MD, was named as CEO, and will concurrently serve as President and Representative Director of the iPark Institute Co., Ltd., a research facility in which iPark took over operation of Takeda’s Shonan iPark following an absorption-type company split in April 2023.
Source: Astellas
Lilly, 5 Prime Sciences in Cardio-Metabolic Disease Drug Pact
Eli Lilly and Company and 5 Prime Sciences, a Montreal, Canada-based biotechnology data analytics company, have entered a strategic collaboration to accelerate target discovery and early development in the field of cardio-metabolic diseases.
The multi-year collaboration is designed to advance early cardio-metabolic disease drug development at Lilly. Under the agreement, 5 Prime Sciences will use its human genetics, proteomics, metabolomics, and AI technologies to identify and validate potential drug targets in cardio-metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and related conditions.
5 Prime Sciences will receive upfront payments, research fees, and will be eligible for downstream clinical and commercial milestones, as well as royalty payments on net sales of products.
Source: 5 Prime Sciences
Bayer, Evotec in Cardio Precision Medicines Pact
Bayer and Evotec, a Hamburg, Germany-based life-sciences company, have updated the focus of their strategic collaboration focused on developing precision treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
The collaboration aims to identify and validate targets, with the goal of building a portfolio of precision cardiology therapeutics by using Evotec’s disease-modelling capabilities using human induced pluripotent stem cells. Under the agreement, both companies will contribute drug targets and technology platforms for the development of treatment options. Bayer and Evotec will share responsibilities during the preclinical development of potential clinical candidates. Bayer will be responsible for any subsequent clinical development and commercialization.
Source: Evotec
BMS, Scenic Biotech in Research Pact for Drug Targeting
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Scenic Biotech, an Amsterdam, the Netherlands-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into a research collaboration to accelerate the development of BMS’ drug targets by identifying target biology for indication selection and expansion.
Under the agreement, Bristol Myers Squibb gains access to Scenic’s Cell-Seq technology platform for evaluating the underlying genetic interactions of cellular pathways for undisclosed targets. Scenic Biotech will be entitled to an upfront payment and potential additional payments contingent upon achievement of a range of research, development and commercial milestones.
Source: Scenic Biotech
Eisai, BioArctic Partner for Alzheimer’s Drug Candidate
Eisai and BioArctic, a Stockholm, Sweden-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into a research evaluation agreement regarding BAN2802, a potential new treatment combining BioArctic’s proprietary BrainTransporter technology with an undisclosed Alzheimer drug candidate. BioArctic’s proprietary BrainTransporter technology is a technology for transporting biologics across the blood–brain barrier into the brain. At the end of the collaboration, Eisai will evaluate the data generated and can decide to exercise an option to license BAN2802 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
BioArctic and Eisai have a long-standing collaboration dating back to 2005 regarding the development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Costs for the research evaluation program will be shared.
Source: BioArctic
