Takeda, Novartis, and Gilead Strike Separate Licensing Deals

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Takeda, Novartis, and Gilead have recently announced separate licensing agreements for medications aimed at targeting several hematologic cancers, tumors, and Huntington disease.^1-3

Takeda

Today, Takeda announced a licensing agreement with Keros Therapeutics to develop, manufacture, and commercialize elritercept, an activin inhibitor targeting anemia in hematologic cancers such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myelofibrosis. According to the company, elritercept, which has previously been granted FDA Fast Track designation for MDS, is currently in Phase II clinical trials and will soon enter a Phase III study for transfusion-dependent anemia in MDS. Under terms of the deal, Keros will receive a $200 million upfront payment, with the potential to receive additional milestone payments, and will maintain rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize elritercept in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.¹

“Elritercept has the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients with blood cancers, one of our key areas of strategic focus,” said Teresa Bitetti, president, global oncology business unit, Takeda, in a press release. “The addition of elritercept further bolsters our oncology pipeline and introduces a potential future growth driver for Takeda. I am excited to further advance the pioneering work begun by the Keros Therapeutics team with the goal of delivering this potential treatment option to patients.”

Novartis

Novartis announced that it has secured global licensing rights to PTC518 from PTC Therapeutics, an oral HTT mRNA splice modulator with the potential to become the first disease-modifying therapy for Huntington disease. Under terms of the deal, Novartis will take over the development and commercialization of the medication after the Phase II PIVOT-HD study, which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. Additionally, PTC will receive an upfront payment of $1 billion with the potential to earn up to $1.9 billion pending the completion of certain milestones. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.²

Gilead

This week, Gilead announced a partnership with Tubulis to develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting solid tumors, leveraging Tubulis’ proprietary Tubutecan and Alco5 platforms. Under terms of the deal, Tubulis will lead the discovery and developmental efforts to design a topoisomerase I inhibitor-based ADC candidate with superior biophysical properties and stability to address current treatment challenges such as durability and off-target toxicity.³

“As we expand our oncology portfolio to address the greatest gaps in care, accessing novel technologies is critical to advancing our pipeline,” said Flavius Martin, MD, EVP, research, Gilead Sciences, in a press release. “With Gilead’s ongoing focus on innovating with next-generation therapies and combinations, we are excited to partner with Tubulis to explore a range of solutions that may help increase the therapeutic value of the ADC modality.”

Regarding financials, Tubulis will receive an upfront payment of $20 million. If Gilead exercises a separate option, Tubulis will receive an additional $30 million. Further, Tubulis will be eligible for potential milestone payments of up to $415 million, plus mid-single to low double-digit tiered royalties on sales of marketed products resulting from the collaboration. If Gilead exercises its option to exclusively license the program, Gilead will be responsible for further development and commercialization activities for all products resulting from the collaboration.³

“Gilead has established a long track record of developing drugs that provide a significant step-up in therapeutic value, making them a great collaborator for leveraging our technology platforms, in line with our vision of fundamentally changing the ADC landscape,” said Dominik Schumacher, PhD, CEO, co-founder, Tubulis, in the press release. “Tubulis remains primarily focused on driving value through our own clinical development programs while selectively building partnerships with leaders in the industry.”

References

1. Takeda Strengthens Oncology Pipeline with Elritercept through Licensing Agreement with Keros Therapeutics. Takeda. December 3, 2024. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.takedaoncology.com/news/news-releases/elritercept-licensing-agreement/

2. Novartis bolsters Neuroscience pipeline with in-licensing of PTC518 for Huntington’s disease. Novartis. December 2, 2024. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.novartis.com/news/novartis-bolsters-neuroscience-pipeline-licensing-ptc518-huntingtons-disease

3. Gilead and Tubulis Enter Into Exclusive Option and License Agreement to Develop ADC Candidate for Select Solid Tumor Target. Gilead. December 3, 2024. Accessed December 3, 2024. https://www.gilead.com/news/news-details/2024/gilead-and-tubulis-enter-into-exclusive-option-and-license-agreement-to-develop-adc-candidate-for-select-solid-tumor-target