Brentuximab vedotin, an ADC that utilises the vcMMAE drug-linker unit, is in a pivotal trial for relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and a phase II trial for relapsed and refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The company anticipates submitting a new drug application for brentuximab vedotin in the first half of 2011.
ADCs utilise the targeting ability of monoclonal antibodies to deliver potent, cell-killing payloads to specific cells. Seattle Genetics’ technology employs synthetic, highly potent drugs attached to antibodies through stable linker systems. The linkers are designed to release the drug payload only under specific conditions once inside target cells, thereby sparing non-target cells many of the toxic effects of traditional chemotherapy.
Seattle Genetics has been developing brentuximab vedotin in collaboration with Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, under which Seattle Genetics has US and Canadian commercialisation rights and Millennium, has exclusive rights to commercialise the product in the rest of the world.
Seattle Genetics and Millennium are jointly funding worldwide development costs for brentuximab vedotin on a 50:50 basis. Additionally, Seattle Genetics has nine ongoing ADC collaborations with certain biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Eric Dobmeier, chief business officer of Seattle Genetics, said: “This patent is an important addition to the intellectual property portfolio surrounding our ADC technology, and significantly enhances the patent position for multiple internal and collaborator programs that use the vcMMAE drug-linker unit. Issuance of this patent, which extends protection in the US to at least 2025, also reflects the culmination of significant and novel research conducted at Seattle Genetics to continue advancing our industry-leading ADC technology.”