GSK signs Adaptimmune deal

pharmafile | June 3, 2014 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |  AZ, Adaptimmune, BMS, Cancer, GSK, oncology 

GlaxoSmithKline has signed a deal to develop and commercialise biotech firm Adaptimmune’s lead clinical cancer programme with T-cell receptors (TCRs), NY-ESO-1.

It is looking at multiple myeloma, melanoma, sarcoma and ovarian cancer in the US and European trials are slated to begin soon, with clinical proof of concept expected sometime in 2016.

GSK will have an option on this set of tests and the two companies will also co-develop other TCR target programmes – the deal could be worth $350 million to Adaptimmune over the next seven years, with royalty payments on top of that.

It is the latest in a welter of cancer immunotherapy deals, which have recently included tie-ups between Bristol-Myers Squibb and CytomX and AstraZeneca and Incyte.

These drugs, which use the body’s immune system to fight tumours, are seen as having the potential to be a major step forward in cancer treatment – with possible price tags to match.

“[GSK’s] substantial development and manufacturing expertise in key areas will be invaluable as we work together to accelerate the development of our programmes and bring potentially breakthrough cancer therapies to patients,” says Adaptimmune chief executive James Noble.

“We believe that Adaptimmune’s TCR engineering technology will be synergistic with the growing immuno-oncology portfolio of GSK and leverage our existing expertise in autologous cell gene therapy,” adds Axel Hoos, vice president of oncology R&D at GSK.

“We are very pleased to be working with Adaptimmune to co-develop new treatments in cancer immunotherapy, an exciting area of core strategic focus for GSK Oncology R&D,” Hoos says. “Together this combination of capabilities offers an opportunity for significant progress in the use of the body’s immune system to fight cancer.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Adaptimmune will co-develop NY-ESO-1 although GSK could take over the whole thing if it thinks there is sufficient mileage in it.

Adam Hill