Mersana licenses anticancer analogue to Teva
This article was originally published in Scrip
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has acquired an exclusive licence to develop and commercialise Mersana Therapeutics' novel fumagillin analogue XMT-1107 for all indications globally, excluding Japan.
Mersana could receive up to $334 million from Teva if XMT-1107 meets development, regulatory and commercial milestones across several indications.
XMT-1107 is a conjugate of Fleximer, a novel, biodegradable and bio-inert polymer that can be chemically linked to small molecules, biologics and nucleic acids to enhance their pharmacokinetics and safety. It is also a novel analogue of fumagillin, an angiogenesis inhibitor with a mechanism of action that mainly targets vascular endothelial growth factor.
Before the technology was licensed to Mersana from Massachusetts General Hospital, a small molecule fumagillin analogue showed anticancer activity in several tumour types in Phase I and II trials, but development was discontinued because a short half-life required frequent intravenous dosing and central nervous system toxicity was observed in patients, though this was reversible.
Mersana plans to begin a Phase I trial for XMT-1107 before the second half of this year. The company's other clinical product XMT-1001, a conjugate of Fleximer and camptothecin, is nearing the end of a Phase I study in cancer patients with refractory solid tumours.
Teva may also pay Mersana royalties on global net sales and will cover all development costs for XMT-1107, excluding those specific to Japan.