Following a buyout deal with Ipsen to commercialize a follicular lymphoma drug, the Paris-based drugmaker is moving through License transaction This brings it into a new realm of drug research.
Ipsen is working with Marengo Therapeutics, a startup with technology to activate T cells and make them respond to a patient’s cancer. The agreement announced Monday covers two of Marengo’s preclinical drug candidates. Under the partnership with Ipsen’s $45 million upfront payment, Marengo will continue to lead preclinical development through the submission of an Investigational New Drug Application to the FDA.
Marengo’s drugs are antibodies designed to activate T cells by binding to the T cell receptor (TCR) on the surface of immune cells. There are TCR drugs on the market as well as new drugs still in development. Marengo focuses on a specific subset of TCRs. The company calls its technology the Selective T-Cell Activation Track, or STAR. Marengo uses STAR to target a subset of receptors called V beta TCRs. Selective binding of these TCRs does not broadly activate T cells, but activates selected cells best suited to respond to a patient’s cancer, Marengo CEO Su Zhen told MedCity News last fall after the startup announced an $80 million funding round.
Marengo currently lists five STAR projects in the pipeline. Ipsen and Marengo did not disclose which projects are covered by the agreement, which is the first partnership announced by the startup. The transaction requires Ipsen to handle the clinical development of the partnered drugs, as well as the commercialization of those drugs after approval. Ipsen could pay Marengo up to $1.6 billion in milestone payments, plus royalties on sales.
Howard Mayer, executive vice president and head of R&D at Ipsen, said in a prepared statement: “Marengo’s fundamental discovery of activation of T cell subsets via TCR V beta is unprecedented and is in line with what we are seeing with current immuno-oncology technologies. Different heights.”
Ipsen’s oncology portfolio includes Cabometyx, a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for advanced kidney, thyroid and liver cancer. In partnership with the drug’s developer, Exelixis, Ipsen owns the rights to the drug outside of North America and Japan. Ipsen has pitched the deal as a way to further expand its cancer business.Last summer, Ipson acquired rights BAKX Therapeutics is developing preclinical small molecules for leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors. In June, Ipsen reached a deal to acquire Epizyme for $247 million. Epizyme’s commercialized follicular lymphoma drug, Tazverik, is a small molecule that targets a specific enzyme critical for tumor growth.
Marengo’s lead project, STAR0602, is expected to enter the clinic. The startup said it expects to submit an investigational new drug application by the end of the year.
Image via Flickr user NIAID through Creative Commons license
