J&J Makes Prostate Cancer Drug Deal with Aduro BioTech

Johnson & Johnson has entered into an agreement with Berkeley based Aduro BioTech that could potentially see Aduro receive as much as $365 million from Johnson & Johnson. The deal is based on the production of a prostate cancer drug that works by using the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. The immunotherapy market is growing and is expected to be worth upwards of $35 billion as more companies attempt to research new ways to manipulate the body’s immune system instead of developing traditional expensive cancer drugs that can lose potency over time. Immunotherapy drugs are believed to remain effective for longer, as the immune system, once subject to immunotherapy, can remember what cancer cells look like, Cancer Research Institute CEO Jill O’Donnell-Tormey told the Chicago Tribune.

Under the terms of the agreement, Aduro will receive an undisclosed upfront license fee and payments for drug development and regulatory commercialization, as well as royalties. Johnson & Johnson will gain an exclusive, global license to the immunotherapy drug, called ADU-741. Janssen Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson will be involved in all of the research, development, manufacturing, regulatory and commercial aspects of the process.

Aduro Chairman, President, and CEO Stephen Isaacs said, “We believe this is an important validation of our platform strategy and we are excited to have the Janssen development team taking the lead in advancing the prostate cancer program,” he said.

The ADU-741 drug works through live-attenuated double-deleted (LADD) technology, developed by Aduro. The technology increases the body’s initial immune response and alerts tumor specific T cells. The initial immune response provides the body with defense in the short term, and in the long term, T cells gain knowledge of what the cancer cells look like so that they can continue to fight cancer over long periods of time and prevent remission.

Aduro’s LADD technology is being continually tested on other immunotherapy prospects. The company is testing it on pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancer, and glioblastoma.