Novartis has gained exclusive rights to two oral targeted investigational therapies for patients with a range of life-threatening blood disorders and cancers that currently do not have effective treatment options.
Under a licensing agreement with Incyte, Novartis will have responsibility for the future development of Incyte’s investigational JAK inhibitor outside the US and for future development of an early-stage cmet inhibitor globally.
The compound is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor with the investigational name INCB18424. This oral targeted therapy is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of myelofibrosis.
The second compound covered in the licensing agreement, a mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor kinase (cMET) inhibitor with the investigational name INCB28060, is entering Phase I development.
David Epstein, president and CEO of oncology and molecular diagnostics at Novartis, said: “A key Novartis priority is to bring innovative medicines to patients as quickly as possible. This agreement leverages these two promising investigational drugs with Novartis Oncology’s global development and commercialization expertise and our wide range of multi-targeted approaches to cancer treatment.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will make an upfront payment of $150m to Incyte and a first milestone payment of $60m for initiation of the European Phase III trial of the JAK inhibitor INCB18424 that began in July of this year.
The agreement covers ex-US commercialisation rights for the JAK inhibitor and global commercialisation rights for the cMET inhibitor INCB28060. Each company will be responsible for costs in their respective territories for the JAK inhibitor, with costs of collaborative studies shared equally.
Novartis will be responsible for all costs and activities for the cMET inhibitor after the Phase I clinical trial. After the first milestone, Incyte will be eligible for additional payments based on achieving defined development and commercialisation milestones and to receive royalties on future sales. Incyte also has an option to co-promote the cMET inhibitor in the US and to participate in the cMET inhibitor’s global development.