Gilead makes a play for novel cancer drug with Tizona deal
Gilead has made a play for another small oncology specialist, Tizona Therapeutics, as it continues its foray into the immunotherapy research and development space.
The deal focuses on Tizona’s lead antibody, TTX-080, which is currently being investigated in a phase 1b study. TTX-080 is a HLA-G inhibitor, an emerging immune checkpoint that is expressed across a number of tumour types.
By developing treatments that target HLA-G, which often appears distinct to PD-1/L-1 immune checkpoints, researchers hope that they can address tumours that do not respond to current anti-PD-1/L1 therapies and deepen responses in tumours that are sensitive to these treatments.
Under the terms of the deal, Gilead has made an upfront payment to Tizona of $300m, securing 49.9% equity interest in the company. Gilead has also agreed an exclusive option to fully acquire Tizona following the completion of the phase 1b studies for TTX-080, but this is not dependent on this milestone – Gilead can buy out the biotech earlier if it chooses.
Read more: http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/gilead_makes_a_play_for_novel_cancer_drug_with_tizona_deal_1345280
The deal focuses on Tizona’s lead antibody, TTX-080, which is currently being investigated in a phase 1b study. TTX-080 is a HLA-G inhibitor, an emerging immune checkpoint that is expressed across a number of tumour types.
By developing treatments that target HLA-G, which often appears distinct to PD-1/L-1 immune checkpoints, researchers hope that they can address tumours that do not respond to current anti-PD-1/L1 therapies and deepen responses in tumours that are sensitive to these treatments.
Under the terms of the deal, Gilead has made an upfront payment to Tizona of $300m, securing 49.9% equity interest in the company. Gilead has also agreed an exclusive option to fully acquire Tizona following the completion of the phase 1b studies for TTX-080, but this is not dependent on this milestone – Gilead can buy out the biotech earlier if it chooses.
Read more: http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/gilead_makes_a_play_for_novel_cancer_drug_with_tizona_deal_1345280
