Under the extension, ImmunoGen will no longer be obligated to present new targets for antibody-based anticancer therapeutics to Sanofi-Aventis, enabling the company to use such targets in the development of its own products.
Previously, ImmunoGen and Aventis Pharmaceuticals had established a collaboration to discover, develop, and commercialize new antibody-based anticancer products.
“ImmunoGen will receive research support funding from Sanofi-Aventis through August 2008 and – starting tomorrow – we’re also free to use new targets that we identify for our own product programs. We continue to be entitled to receive milestone payments, manufacturing payments and royalties for each compound in the collaboration and to have certain co-promotion rights,” commented Mitchel Sayare, ImmunoGen chairman and CEO.
The agreement includes joint research and collaboration products whereby each treatment developed under the deal would lead to milestone payments and royalties on sales from Sanofi-Aventis. Furthermore, ImmunoGen could receive some co-promotion rights on products developed between the two.
TAP technology developed by ImmunoGen will also require a license if Sanofi-Aventis is to use the product after August 2008. Sanofi-Aventis and ImmunoGen have agreed to negotiate a multi-target agreement to provide Sanofi-Aventis with access to ImmunoGen’s TAP technology. The TAP technology developed by ImmunoGen, delivers antibodies directly to cancer cells.