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news.Agensys, a cancer-focused biotech firm, and Merck & Co have formed a global alliance to jointly develop and commercialize AGS-PSCA, an antibody developed by Agensys that targets "prostate stem cell antigen".
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Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will make an initial cash payment to Agensys of $17.5 million and, subject to the achievement of certain events, further payments of $11.5 million over the following 12 months.
The successful development and launch of AGS-PSCA would trigger milestone payments of $95 million that could increase to more than $170 million if multiple oncology indications are successfully developed and approved. Agensys would also receive royalties on worldwide sales.
The agreement grants Merck worldwide rights to AGS-PSCA and an exclusive license to the prostate stem cell antigen, a proprietary Agensys target, as well as rights to other therapeutic and diagnostic products developed under the alliance.
Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) is expressed at significant levels on tumor cells from a majority of patients with all stages of prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers. Efficacy studies utilizing human specimens of these tumors in xenograft mouse models have consistently demonstrated that AGS-PSCA significantly inhibits both tumor growth and metastases.
Pre-clinical animal toxicology and pharmacokinetic studies have indicated that all administered doses of AGS-PSCA were well tolerated and demonstrated a long serum half-life.
“AGS-PSCA is the first antibody product from our pipeline and developing this novel and potentially important cancer therapy with Merck fulfills one of our major strategic goals,” said Dr Donald Rice, chairman, president and CEO of Agensys. “In preclinical studies of human prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers, AGS-PSCA has consistently demonstrated significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastases leading to increases in survival.
Merck and Agensys will co-develop and jointly fund AGS-PSCA for prostate cancer and other indications through phase II. Agensys has initiated a phase I clinical trial of AGS-PSCA in patients with advanced prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.