Looking at a groundbreaking advance, Myovant gets a priority review at FDA; Agenus, G1 forge new China deals
→ Just weeks after posting promising pivotal results for relugolix in prostate cancer, Myovant has picked up a priority review from the FDA, which isn’t planning an expert committee review before making its decision. While much of the attention in this class is focused on uterine fibroids, an OK here would make this the first GnRH receptor antagonist treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer.
→ A couple of new China deals arrived in today’s news feed. Agenus struck an agreement with Betta Pharmaceuticals for an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of balstilimab and zalifrelimab in Greater China. Agenus will receive $35 million, which includes $15 million in upfront cash and a $20 million equity investment. The agreement also includes $100 million in potential milestones plus royalties on net sales. Also, G1 Therapeutics and Genor Biopharma announced an exclusive license agreement for the development and commercialization of lerociclib in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan). G1 will receive an upfront cash payment of $6 million and be eligible to receive up to an additional $40 million in development and commercial milestone payments.
→ Shanghai’s STAR board has welcomed its largest biotech, as SinocellTech lands on the science and technology-focused board with a $181 million raise in hand and sporting a $5 billion market cap. Qiming Venture Partners led its Series A back in 2017, and many of its experimental products — spanning monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins and vaccines — have now entered Phase III.
