Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.ImClone Systems and UCB Group have entered into a worldwide strategic partnership for the development and commercialization of an anticancer compound that interferes with the formation of blood cells in tumors. The newly formed partnership will now take the development of the drug into phase II clinical trials.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Under terms of the agreement, UCB and ImClone Systems will equally share the development costs for the drug, known as CDP-791, as well as worldwide profits derived from its commercialization. ImClone Systems has exclusive commercialization rights to CDP-791 in North America, with UCB receiving such rights in Europe, Japan, and the rest of the world.
A phase I study into CDP-791 was completed earlier in 2005 and showed no safety concerns. A randomized phase II study in non-small cell lung cancer is scheduled to start in the coming weeks.
The antibody is designed to interrupt the workings of a protein known as VEGFR-2 found on blood vessels, which is known to regulate the formation of blood vessels in tumors (angiogenesis), allowing cancer cells to receive nutrients and maintain growth.
“VEGF is an important and increasingly recognized pathway in the treatment of solid tumors,” stated Daniel Lynch, CEO of ImClone Systems. “Our partnership with UCB gives us the opportunity to collaborate on a product that significantly accelerates our anti-VEGFR-2 program and potential commercial entry into the anti-angiogenesis space at terms that are economically attractive to both partners. We look forward to working with UCB and to CDP-791’s prospects for clinical and commercial success.”