As remuneration for the inclusion of Japan into the VEGF trap collaboration, Regeneron will receive an upfront payment of $25 million, milestone payments related to potential approvals in Japan, and royalties on sales of the product in Japan.
Under the collaboration agreement, Sanofi-Aventis will pay all development expenses; and, following commercialization of a VEGF trap product, Regeneron will repay 50% of the development costs paid by Sanofi-Aventis.
The VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) trap has been shown in preclinical studies to block the action of VEGF, thereby blocking the abnormal growth of blood vessels that support the development of tumors.
VEGF is a naturally occurring protein in the body whose normal role is to trigger formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to support the growth of the body’s tissues and organs. It has also been associated with the abnormal growth of new blood vessels surrounding tumors to support their expansion. Blocking tumor-associated angiogenesis has been shown to prevent tumor growth in a variety of clinical and preclinical evaluations, with the most widely recognized and highly validated results achieved based on approaches that block VEGF.