Still reeling from PhII failure, Calithera beefs up its oncology portfolio with a little help from Takeda
Calithera started the year by axing a third of its staff after a monumental Phase II flop in renal cell carcinoma. And while CEO Susan Molineaux has refused to give up on the program, she’s going to need an assist if she wants to close the year on a higher note.
That’s where Takeda comes in.
For two upfront payments of $10 million and $35 million, tiered royalties and an undisclosed amount in biobucks, Takeda is forking over two Phase II-ready cancer programs to Calithera — one of which targets KEAP1/NRF2 mutations, the same ones Calithera is now pursuing with its once-failed glutaminase inhibitor telaglenastat.
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