Cancer Cell Therapy: Global Start up Acquisitions in Oncolytic Viruses (OV) Therapeutics – a Pipeline of 70 OVs in Clinical Development and another 95 in Preclinical Programs
Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN
September 2018
- Boehringer Ingelheim is buying ViraTherapeutics in $244M deal
Boehringer Ingelheim joins the crowd and goes all-in on oncolytic viruses, buying ViraTherapeutics in $244M deal
May 2018
- J&J executed one of its classic billion-dollar deals to buy BeneVir.
J&J’s Janssen to Acquire BeneVir for $1 Billion
Janssen Biotech, part of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), announced on May 2, 2018 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BeneVir Biopharm (BeneVir), a biotechnology company specializing in the development of oncolytic immunotherapies.
BeneVir is a portfolio company and subsidiary of HC2 Holdings’ Pansend Life Sciences, which is focused on developing healthcare technologies and products. Benevir uses a proprietary T-Stealth Oncolytic Virus Platform to engineer oncolytic viruses tailored to infect and eliminate cancer cells.
Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen will make an upfront cash payment of $140 million at closing of the transaction, plus additional contingent payments of up to $900 million based on achievement of certain predetermined milestones. The total amount of all payments could exceed $1 billion if all milestones are met. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The transaction, which was facilitated by J&J Innovation, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018.
SOURCE
http://www.pharmtech.com/jj-s-janssen-acquire-benevir-1-billion-0
May 2018
- A recent study from the Cancer Research Institute found 69 OVs in clinical development and another 95 in a preclinical program.
New Report on the Global Landscape of Cancer Cell Therapy Highlights Robust International Pipeline Marked by Rapid Growth
- A comprehensive, neutral analysis of the global cancer cell therapy landscape
- 753 cancer cell therapies in the global development pipeline, with 375 in clinical studies
- 350 new cancer cell therapies have entered the global development pipeline since Sep. 2017, an 87% increase in less than 7 months
- 113 targets are being pursued in 7 different classes of cell therapies
NEW YORK, May 25, 2018—The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) announced today the publication of a report that provides a comprehensive, independent analysis of the global landscape of cancer cell therapies, including all agents from preclinical to post-market stages. This report provides a quantitative and current overview of the cancer cell therapy field, reveals the unparalleled speed of the field’s expansion, highlights exciting innovations in the development pipeline, and advises strategies to advance the field as a whole.
The report, titled “The Global Landscape of Cancer Cell Therapy,” appeared online today in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, a premium journal from Nature Publishing Group and an authoritative source of information in drug discovery and development. This report, which expands on CRI’s previously published landscape analysis of the entire field of immuno-oncology, highlights the geographic distribution of cancer cell therapies worldwide and identifies the dominant presence of CAR T therapies in the cancer cell therapy space.
“The quantitative analyses from this report reveal unprecedented enthusiasm and innovation in the global cell therapy pipeline,” said Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D., chief executive officer and director of scientific affairs at the Cancer Research Institute.
“In addition to traditional powerhouses of drug development such as the United States or European countries, many other countries, especially China, have significant presence in this space,” noted Jun Tang, Ph.D., a senior research analyst for the CRI Anna-Maria Kellen Clinical Accelerator program and first author on the report.
To access the interactive dashboard of the report, visit the CRI website at cancerresearch.org/io-cell-therapy.
Reference
Tang J. et al. Global landscape of cancer cell therapy. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 25 May 2018. doi:10.1038/nrd.2018.74
SOURCE
https://www.cancerresearch.org/news/2018/global-landscape-of-cancer-cell-therapy-report
February 2018
- Merck’s R&D chief Roger Perlmutter — who steered the T-Vec deal at Amgen — bagged Viralytics for $394 million.
Merck to buy virus-based cancer drug firm Viralytics for $394 million
(Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co (MRK.N), already one of the leaders in the hot area of cancer immunotherapy, said on Wednesday it had agreed to buy Viralytics VLA.AX for 502 million Australian dollars ($394 million) to expand its pipeline in the sector.
Merck will pay 1.75 Australian dollars per share for the Sydney-based biotech company, which uses viruses to infect and kill cancer cells.
The idea is to cause cancer cells to rupture and die, while also stimulating a wider immune system response in the body.
SOURCE
Talimogene laherparepvec: First in class oncolytic virotherapy
ABSTRACT
Oncolytic viruses represent a novel drug class in which native or modified viruses mediate tumor regression through selective replication within and lysis of tumor cells as well as induction of systemic antitumor immunity capable of eradicating tumor at distant, uninjected sites. Talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) is a type I herpes simplex virus genetically modified to preferentially replicate in tumor cells, enhance antigen loading of MHC class I molecules and express granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor to increase tumor-antigen presentation by dendritic cells. It is presently the only oncolytic virus approved by the FDA with an indication for advanced melanoma based upon improved durable response rate in a randomized, phase III trial. Clinical trials are underway in melanoma investigating TVEC as neoadjuvant monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for unresectable disease as well as in an array of other malignancies. It is appropriate to review TVEC’s biology mechanism of action, clinical indication and future directions as a prototype of the burgeoning class of oncolytic viruses.
SOURCE
October 2015
- Amgen’s landmark approval of T-Vec, the world’s first marketed oncolytic virus.
FDA approves cancer-killing cold sore virus as therapy for late-stage melanoma
October 28, 2015, University of Utah Health Sciences
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Oct. 27 that it has approved, for the first time, an oncolytic (cancer-killing) viral therapy in the United States. The drug was approved for use against late-stage melanoma, a deadly skin cancer that can be difficult to treat.
The approval came as the result of a recent Phase III study, which showed that more patients with late-stage melanoma, treated with a herpes cold sore virus designed to kill tumor cells, had a better response when compared to a different treatment. Robert Andtbacka, M.D., from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, led the multisite study, published May 26 online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
SOURCE
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-10-fda-cancer-killing-cold-sore-virus.html
Additional Sources
T Cell Engineering Breakthrough Sidesteps Need for Viruses in Gene-Editing
UCSF News Center | Pete Farley | July 11, 2018
With Faster, Cheaper, More Precise Technique, Authors Say It’s ‘Off to the Races’ Toward New Cell
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