Servier And CTI Biopharma Enter $133.5 Million Lymphoma Drug Collaboration
By Lori Clapper
Servier and CTI Biopharma have entered an exclusive license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize the lymphoma drug Pixuvri (pixantrone).
Servier is paying CTI €14 million (around $18.1 million) upfront to seal the deal, while CTI could receive further sales, clinical, and regulatory milestone payments and royalties — all of which could add up to around $133.5 million, according to BioWorld.
The European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization for Pixuvri in 11 countries as a treatment for adults with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL in 2012. The drug has received reimbursement decisions in England/Wales, Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Pixuvri is not yet approved to be marketed in the United States.
Pascal Touchon, VP of scientific collaboration and business development at Servier, said he believes the partnership with CTI will help build its hemato-oncology capabilities and expand market access in more countries.
“This new partnership,” according to Touchon,“will nicely fit within Servier’s portfolio by bringing an immediate therapeutic solution for patients suffering from aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who failed two or three prior lines of therapy.”
“Our two companies share a vision for bringing PIXUVRI to patients and believe this collaboration will not only maximize the development, commercialization, and market potential of Pixuvri, but will also help accelerate potential development expansion into new indications,” James A. Bianco, M.D., President and CEO of CTI, commented.
Servier is currently conducting a comprehensive oncology research program to develop novel and effective cancer therapies for patients. In the process, the company has entered into several scientific collaborations with academic institutions, as well other organizations in the field of oncology and hematology.
Pixuvri is the first monotherapy treatment, as well as the only therapy option licensed for third and fourth line use in aggressive B-cell NHL patients, which includes diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to a company announcement. Pixuvri, a novel aza-anthracenedione, is designed so that it cannot bind iron and perpetuate oxygen radical production or form a long-lived hydroxyl metabolite. Both of these are putative mechanisms for anthracycline-induced acute and chronic cardiotoxicity.
NHL is caused by the abnormal proliferation of lymphocytes — cells that are key to the functioning of the immune system. It usually originates in lymph nodes and spreads through the lymphatic system. NHL can be broadly classified into two main forms: aggressive and indolent NHL. Aggressive NHL is a rapidly growing form of the disease that moves into advanced stages much faster than indolent NHL, which progresses more slowly.
There are many subtypes of NHL, but aggressive B-cell NHL is the most common and accounts for about 55 percent of NHL cases.