Takeda in $4-Bn-Plus Cell- and Gene-Therapy Pacts

Takeda has entered into two separate pacts, worth up to more than $4 billion, for developing cell and gene therapies.

Under the first pact, Takeda has formed a research and licensing pact with Poseida Therapeutics, a San Diego, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, to develop non-viral gene therapies in a deal worth up to $3.77 billion ($45 million upfront, $125 million in preclinical milestones, and up to $3.6 billion in other milestone payments). 

Under the agreement, Takeda will use Poseida’s DNA and RNA nanoparticle-delivery technology and other proprietary genetic engineering platforms for the research and development of up to eight gene therapies. The collaboration will focus on developing non-viral in vivo gene-therapy programs, including Poseida’s hemophilia A program. The companies will initially develop up to six in vivo gene-therapy programs, and Takeda has an option to add two additional programs to the collaboration and is obligated to provide funding for all collaboration program R&D costs.

Under the deal, Poseida will receive an upfront payment of $45 million and preclinical milestones that together could potentially exceed $125 million in the aggregate, if milestones for six programs are achieved. Poseida is also eligible to receive future clinical development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments with a total potential value over the course of the partnership of up to $2.7 billion if milestones for all six programs are achieved, and up to $3.6 billion if the milestones related to the two optional programs are also achieved. Poseida will lead research activities up to candidate selection, after which Takeda will assume responsibility for further development and commercialization.

In a separate deal, Takeda has partnered with Immusoft, a Seattle, Washington-based bio/pharmaceutical company to discover, develop and commercialize cell therapies in rare inherited metabolic disorders, in a deal worth up to $900 million.

Under the Nimsoft agreement, Immusoft will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and research funding support. The company is also eligible to receive future option fees and milestone payments with a total potential value of more than $900 million if all options are exercised and all milestones are achieved over the course of the partnership. Takeda has options to exclusively license the programs at the preclinical stage, and Immusoft is eligible for tiered royalties on future products resulting from the partnership. Takeda would be responsible for further preclinical and clinical development, and commercialization.

Source: Poseida Therapeutics and Immusoft