MedImmune and Infinity Pharmaceuticals entered into an agreement to jointly develop and commercialize small molecule cancer drugs targeting heat shock protein 90(Hsp90) and the Hedgehog cell-signaling pathway. The companies report that in preclinical studies, Hsp90 and the Hedgehog pathway appear to be implicated in the growth and survival of a broad range of blood-related and solid tumors. IPI-504, the most advanced of the drug candidates included in the agreement, is an Hsp90 inhibitor that has been studied in two Phase I trials.
Under the terms of the agreement, MedImmune and Infinity will share equally all costs and profits from the development and commercialization of any future products. MedImmune will provide Infinity a one-time upfront payment of $70 million for co-exclusive, shared rights to the Hsp90 and Hedgehog pathway product-development programs. In addition, Infinity could receive up to an additional $430 million in milestone payments.
For each of the Hsp90 and Hedgehog pathway programs, Infinity will retain primary responsibility for discovery, preclinical development, and translational clinical development of products through proof-of-concept in humans. MedImmune and Infinity will jointly conduct clinical development through first product approval.
