Firm may opt to co-develop products after Phase I trials.
Seattle Genetics and Genmab shook hands on an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) research collaboration that gives the latter rights to use Seattle’s ADC technology in combination with its own HuMax-TF antibody targeting the tumor-expressed tissue factor (TF) antigen. The deal comes just 24 hours after Seattle confirmed it was discontinuing further development of its clinical-stage acute myeloid leukemia mAb candidate lintuzumab (SGN-33) because a Phase IIb trial failed to show the drug extended overall survival.
Under terms of the latest ADC deal, Genmab will carry out manufacturing and development of relevant products up to Phase I trials. Seattle may help with Genmab’s research in return for support payments. If Seattle subsequently opts to collaborate on an ADC at the end of Phase I evaluation, the firms will co-develop the product and share all future costs and profits on a 50:50 basis. Conversely, if Seattle decides not to opt in on a product it will receive fees, milestones, and royalties on worldwide net sales from Genmab.
“This collaboration leverages the value of our ADC technology to provide us with a strategic option to supplement our product pipeline based on Phase I data,” remarks Eric L. Dobmeier, chief business officer at Seattle. “In addition to the greater than $130 million we have generated to date from ADC technology deals, we now have co-development options for three of our collaborators’ ADC programs.”
Seattle’s ADC technology is designed to combine a synthetic cytotoxic auristatin agent to a cell-targeting antibody using a linker system that is stable in the bloodstream and only releases the cell-killing drug once inside the desired cancer cells.
