AstraZeneca buys rights to Heptares experimental cancer treatment
pharmafile | August 6, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | AstraZeneca, Cancer, HTL-1071, immuno-oncology
AstraZeneca has entered into a licensing agreement with Heptares for the global rights to the experimental cancer treatment HTL-1071.
The $10 million deal allows AstraZeneca to exclusively research, develop, manufacture and commercialise the adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, a small molecule immuno-oncology candidate, and potential additional A2A receptor-blocking compounds.
If the treatment is developmentally and commercially successful, the fee to Heptares – which was acquired by Japan’s Sosei in February – could eventually rise to more than $500 million, as well as up to double-digit tiered royalties on net sales.
The agreement will also see the companies collaborating to discover further A2A receptor-blocking compounds for development in cancer immunotherapy.
AstraZeneca will focus on exploring HTL-1071 and any additional compounds across a range of cancers, including in combination with its existing portfolio of immunotherapies.
As patents on existing cancer therapies approach expiry and it faces falling sales, AstraZeneca is looking to new treatments to boost its fortunes. The company saw success with its new AZD9291 immuno-oncology lung cancer treatment earlier this year. In trials, the medicine was demonstrated to reduce tumours in 40% of patients.
Speaking about the Heptares deal, Susan Galbraith, vice president, head of oncology in AstraZeneca’s inovative medicines and early development unit, says: “We are pleased to expand our successful collaboration with Heptares into the exciting area of immuno-oncology research. By combining the pioneering A2A receptor programme with the strength of AstraZeneca’s existing oncology portfolio, we hope to develop novel treatments with the potential to transform the lives of patients.”
Malcolm Weir, chief executive of Heptares, comments: “The A2A receptor programme at Heptares has been an outstanding example of our Structure Based Drug Design approach in action, resulting in a novel clinical candidate, HTL-1071, with a highly attractive profile. Heptares is targeting G-protein-coupled receptors that play a key role in cancer biology through the identification of both antibody and small molecule therapeutics.
“We are delighted to be entering this expanding field by partnering with AstraZeneca, an innovative leader in the field of cancer immunotherapy. This agreement further builds on our successful existing research collaboration.”
Joel Levy
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