Agreement underlines growing investment in next-generation discovery platforms as pharma companies seek differentiated mechanisms of action in an increasingly competitive oncology landscape.
Novartis and US biotech Antares Therapeutics have agreed to collaborate to advance first-in-class small molecule therapeutic candidates for cancer, in a deal worth up to $1.8 billion.
The partnership will initiate the discovery, development and commercialisation of these therapies against promising but historically undruggable oncology targets. As the party leading the research portion of the collaboration, Antares will receive $105 million upfront.
Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, said: “Novartis is committed to advancing innovative approaches to cancer drug discovery and expanding the boundaries of what’s possible in oncology treatment.
“Many of the most compelling targets today in oncology have historically been considered undruggable. We believe this collaboration has the potential to unlock a new wave of targeted therapies and bring meaningful advances to patients.”
Dr Adam Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Antares, added: “This collaboration lets us scale [our discovery] engine alongside Novartis’ world-class development capabilities and global reach, so we can translate our science into transformative therapies for patients faster than either of us could alone.”
“We believe this collaboration has the potential to unlock a new wave of targeted therapies and bring meaningful advances to patients”
Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis
Last month, Pfizer teamed up with Innovent to develop cancer medicines through a $10.5 billion deal. This agreement is set to advance a portfolio of 12 novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates which are part of four Phase I clinical programmes.
Meanwhile, one notable development within the small molecule drug space in recent months was Eli Lilly winning approval from the FDA for its obesity pill Foundayo (orforglipron) in April. The firm plans to produce the small molecule GLP-1 therapy at a new manufacturing facility in Alabama, US.
Lilly’s Chair and CEO, David Ricks, said at the time that approval of Foundayo widens access to GLP-1 therapies, and could “help level the playing field for those living with obesity or who are overweight and living with weight-related complications”.
No comments yet