AstraZeneca’s drug portfolio already includes a lymphoma drug, a blockbuster that treats cancer by tracking a single target.Cancer drug research is expanding into therapies targeting multiple targets, and AstraZeneca is now joining Buy TeneoTwoa biotech with a Phase 1 drug candidate that hits both targets simultaneously.
The pharmaceutical giant announced Tuesday that it has agreed to buy TeneoTwo for an upfront payment of $100 million. Phase 1 testing of the biotech drug TNB-486 is underway for the treatment of advanced B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. TeneoTwo shareholders could receive up to $1.16 billion in milestone payments if the drug reaches development and commercialization milestones.
TeneoTwo’s drugs are part of a class of therapies called T-cell engagers. These drugs target two targets, one for cancer cells and one for T cells. By using both, these therapies aim to direct T cells to kill target cancer cells. Amgen’s Blincyto pioneered this approach in the treatment of several types of leukemia. But the drug still carries a serious risk of side effects, and companies developing new T-cell engagers are working to improve the safety and efficacy of such drugs. They are also trying to expand these cancer therapies to solid tumors. Amgen is one of those companies.
last year, Amgen to buy Teneobio, a company developing bispecific T-cell engagers, for $900 million upfront. These drugs target the protein CD3 on T cells and antigens on cancer cells. Teneobio also brings to Amgen technology to develop antibody drugs that address multiple targets.
TeneoTwo, a subsidiary of Teneobio, designed TNB-486 to target CD19 on B cells and CD3 on T cells of cancer cells.
When Amgen announced its acquisition of Teneobio nearly a year ago, the drugmaker said it would spin off three of the biotech’s subsidiaries before completing the acquisition. Ancora Biotech, a Newark, California-based company established last year Former Teneobio shareholders and executives take over TeneoTwo and two other subsidiaries, TeneoFour and TeneoTen. TeneoOne, a bispecific antibody drug in development for multiple myeloma, Acquired by AbbVie in early 2021.
In announcing the acquisition of TeneoTwo, AstraZeneca’s senior vice president of hematology research and development, Anas Younes, said the biotech’s drug candidates had the potential to be used as monotherapy or as part of a combination therapy with drugs targeting B-cell CD20.
“We believe that this innovative molecule designed to optimize the therapeutic window of T cell activation will allow us to explore new combinations that have the potential to become a new standard of care in this setting,” he said.
The TeneoTwo acquisition is just the latest in a string of acquisitions of T-cell players by Big Pharma. last year end, Sanofi agrees to buy Amunix Pharmaceuticals for $1 billion upfront, a clinical-stage company whose technology improves the safety and durability of these therapies.This deal followed Bristol-Myers Squibb acquires global rights to leading T-cell engagement drug candidate from Inmatics. Takeda Pharmaceuticals joins pursuit of new T-cell players, Acquired its clinical-stage partner Maverick Therapeutics for $525 million.
New startups are also emerging with technologies that enable drugs to hit multiple targets. Late last year, Tentarix Bio emerged from stealth with $50 million in funding to develop multispecific drugs For cancer and autoimmune diseases. But some competitors have already suffered setbacks. March, Harpoon Therapeutics halts work on its major project After disappointing early clinical data from prostate cancer research.
AstraZeneca’s acquisition of TeneoTwo is expected to close later this quarter. At that time, TeneoTwo’s drug will join AstraZeneca’s cancer drug pipeline, which includes Calquence, which is already approved for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Global sales of the antibody drug, which blocks Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, an enzyme that regulates B-cell growth, topped $1.2 billion last year. Clinical trials are underway that could expand the drug’s use to the early stages of cancer treatment.
Photo: Christopher Furlong, Getty Images
