Drugs that block so-called checkpoint proteins have become the mainstay of cancer immunotherapy, and Novartis is expanding its prospects with this type of treatment New partnership A late candidate from BeiGene.
BeiGene’s drug ociperlimab is designed to block the checkpoint protein TIGIT. The China-based drugmaker has advanced two phase 3 trials of antibodies against non-small cell lung cancer, as well as additional trials against a series of solid tumors. The two companies said that early studies have shown that the drug may also be active against tumors derived from esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, and skin cancer. According to the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay US$300 million in advance to obtain the license option for ociperlimab.
The agreement announced on Monday was announced nearly a year after Novartis Reach an agreement Ensuring the development and commercialization rights of tislelizumab in North America, Europe and Japan, which is another BeiGene checkpoint inhibitor that targets a different checkpoint protein called PD-1. Novartis and BeiGene said that during the selection period of ociperlimab, the two companies will cooperate in clinical trials of a combination of two drugs. Novartis will design, sponsor, fund and conduct these global studies.
“Ociperlimab is a promising compound for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with potential in a wide range of solid tumors,” said Susanne Schaffert, President of Novartis Oncology, in a prepared statement. “We believe it is a strong candidate for a potential synergistic combination with the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab.”
Checkpoint proteins are the “brake” of the immune system. The checkpoint proteins PD-1 and TIGIT found on the surface of immune cells prevent T cells from attacking healthy cells. But checkpoint proteins can also prevent T cells from recognizing and targeting tumors. By blocking them, checkpoint inhibitors remove this brake and release T cells to fight cancer cells.
Merck’s Keytruda and Opdivo from Bristol Myers Squibb are the first checkpoint inhibitors approved for PD-1. But for some patients, blocking PD-1 does not work. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are interested in extending this immunotherapy approach to a second goal: TIGIT. Novartis is not the only company this year to reach an agreement on the rights to drugs against TIGIT. in May, BMS paid US$200 million in advance to purchase the rights to Agenus’s preclinical bispecific antibodies. The next month, GlaxoSmithKline paid iTeos Therapeutics US$625 million in advance to develop a monoclonal antibody against TIGIT.
Gilead Sciences joined TIGIT Chase in 2020 Alliance with Arcus Biosciences. A month ago, Gilead Exercise option There are three Arcus drugs, each of which has a different method to block TIGIT. Arcus’ total option payments are $725 million.
If Novartis exercises the ociperlimab option before the end of 2023, it may pay BeiGene up to US$700 million. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant will acquire the development and commercialization rights of ociperlimab in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Russia and Japan. If the drug is approved by the FDA, BeiGene agrees to share the drug’s marketing share in the United States, and reserves the rights of the drug in China and all other countries.
The new partnership also includes the marketing of certain Novartis drugs in China. According to the agreement, BeiGene will promote some of these drugs in areas in China not currently covered by Novartis. The Swiss company will continue to sell these and other products in areas where there is already a commercial presence in China.
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