Biotech resurrects a long faded Novartis cancer drug star, using a biomarker strategy to push ahead
Five years after Novartis $NVS abruptly dumped a program for its TKI dovitinib after it failed to beat sorafenib in a head-to-head Phase III showdown on metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a Danish biotech outfit is taking it on to see if they can get it off the shelf and across the finish line.
Oncology Venture — which prefers to see the Phase III data as proof that their drug was no worse than sorafenib — has followed up on an option deal to take on the drug, signing off on an unspecified list of upfront fee, milestones and royalties. And the biotech now plans to pursue a biomarker approach to identify patients most likely to respond favorably to the drug.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.