Celgene, Ionis ink China drug development pacts; Motif touts positive PhIII antibiotic data
A host of biotech startups in China have been making the trek to the US to partner on promising experimental therapies. And we have news of two new pacts this week:
→ Shanghai-based Antengene Corporation inked a collaborative partnership and definitive licensing agreement with Celgene Corporation for its TORC1/TORC2 inhibitor CC- 223 covering China and other Asian nations. Antengene will be fully responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of CC-223 for the defined territories.
→ Ionis Pharmaceuticals bagged a deal to collaborate with a small Chinese biotech on RNAi. Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. will develop and commercialize RNA-targeted therapeutics in China after Ionis granted Ribo a license for the commercial rights to two Ionis Generation 2+ antisense drugs in metabolic disease and cancer, and an option to license a third pre-specified Generation 2+ antisense drug. In addition, Ribo will be responsible for conducting a multi-year research and drug discovery program to identify drugs that utilize Ionis’ ssRNAi technology. Ionis will receive an undisclosed up-front payment and equity in Ribo.
→ Belgium’s Galapagos NV has raised $338 million in a share offering.
→ Rigel Pharmaceuticals $RIGL has submitted an NDA to the FDA for fostamatinib in patients with chronic and persistent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
→ Motif Bio $MTFB says it gathered positive topline results from REVIVE-1, a global Phase III clinical trial of its investigational drug candidate iclaprim in patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. Iclaprim achieved the primary endpoint of non-inferiority (10% margin) compared to vancomycin at the early time point, 48 to 72 hours after the start of administration of the study drug.
