ImmunoGen Inc. licensed its maytansinoid targeted antibody payload (TAP) technology to Eli Lilly and Co., for the development of a limited number of antibody-drug conjugates for cancer. Lilly will pay $20 million up front and up to $200 million in milestone payments. ImmunoGen will also receive compensation for any research and manufacturing services it may provide to Lilly. Read More
LONDON – Scil Technology GmbH has signed up Sanofi SA as commercialization partner for its protein therapy for osteoarthritis in a €180 million (US$235.9 million) plus royalties deal that will see the French pharma company take on all responsibility for further development of the program. Read More
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) recently revealed an ambitious effort to capitalize on its flagship genome sequencing program by pumping $416 million into four areas over four years to find the causes of rare inherited diseases and to accelerate the use of genome sequence information in the medical care of patients. Read More
Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd. plans to complete a European regulatory filing for its lead drug Scenesse (afamelanotide) in the coming weeks, following a Phase III clinical trial in patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), which met its primary endpoint. Read More
• Provectus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., and its five wholly owned subsidiaries – Provectus Biotech Inc., Provectus Devicetech Inc., Provectus Imaging Inc., Pure-ific Corp. and Xantech Pharmaceuticals Inc. – raised an undisclosed amount of money in an unregistered offering. Each unit sold consisted of the right to receive one share of common stock in up to all five subsidiaries and a warrant to purchase three-fourths of one share of the company's common stock. Read More
• Dynavax Technologies Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., began a proof-of-mechanism trial of its lupus candidate, DV1179, triggering a $6 million milestone payment from London-based GlaxoSmithKline plc. GSK has the option to exclusively license the drug following completion of the trial. Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus will receive ascending doses of DV1179 by injection once a week for eight weeks, to evaluate safety and efficacy. Read More
• Antares Pharma Inc., of Ewing, N.J., has licensed to Pfizer Inc.'s Consumer Healthcare Business Unit one of its drug delivery technologies to develop an undisclosed product on an exclusive basis for North America. New York-based Pfizer will assume full cost and responsibility for all clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization of the product in the licensed territory, which also includes certain nonexclusive territories outside of North America. Antares will receive undisclosed up-front payments, development milestones and sales-based milestones, as well as royalties on net sales for three years post-launch in the U.S. Read More
