Sanofi to acquire immuno-oncology company Synthorx for $2.5B

A French drugmaker is putting down $2.5 billion to acquire a U.S. biotech developing immunotherapies in oncology and rheumatology.

Paris-based Sanofi said Monday it would acquire San Diego-based Synthorx. Shares of the biotech company were up 169% on the Nasdaq when markets opened following the news.

Synthorx’s lead drug candidate is THOR-707, an IL-2 therapeutic that it has in development both as a single agent and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, with a Phase I/II clinical trial ongoing. The company has recently presented preclinical data that it said bolsters the case for the drug.

Marketed checkpoint inhibitors include Merck & Co.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab), among others. IL-2, which stands for interleukin-2, is a protein made by white blood cells that promotes the growth and activity of other white blood cells. Sanofi touted THOR-707 as having potential to demonstrate improved pharmacology, less frequent dosing and therapeutic superiority to other IL-2 compounds.

“Synthorx’s exceptionally novel discovery platform has already produced a molecule that has the potential to become a foundation of the next generation of immuno-oncology combination therapies,” Sanofi global head of research and development John Reed said in a statement. “By selectively expanding the numbers of effector T-cells and natural killer cells in the body, THOR-707 can be combined with our current oncology medicines and our emerging pipeline of immuno-modulatory agents for treating cancer. Moreover, Synthorx’s pipeline of engineered lymphokines has great promise not only for oncology but also for addressing many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.”

Several other companies are also developing IL-2 therapeutics. These include San Francisco-based Nektar Therapeutics, whose drug bempegaldesleukin is in Phase III development. Others include Toronto-based Medicenna, Houston-based Courier Therapeutics and Concord, Massachusetts-based Alopexx Oncology.

In addition to existing clinical development and preclinical data for THOR-707, Synthorx recently presented preclinical data for another IL-2 drug, THOR-809, at the American College of Rheumatology’s meeting in November. The company is developing that drug as a potential treatment for autoimmune disorders.

Source:https://medcitynews.com/2019/12/sanofi-to-acquire-immuno-oncology-company-synthorx-for-2-5b/?rf=1

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EMA validates Incyte’s MAA for retifanlimab to treat metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma

Incyte, global biopharmaceutical company, announced the validation of the Company’s Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for retifanlimab, an intravenous PD-1 inhibitor, as a potential treatment for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma (SCAC) who have progressed on, or who are intolerant of, platinum-based chemotherapy. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) validation of the MAA confirms that the submission is sufficiently complete to begin the formal review process. “While the incidence of SCAC is increasing in Europe, treatment options for advanced disease are limited in their effectiveness, and there are no approved options once patients have progressed on standard therapy,” said Lance Leopold, M.D., Group vice president, Immuno-Oncology Clinical Development, Incyte. “The EMA validation of the MAA for retifanlimab – which follows the recent US Food & Drug Administration acceptance of our Biologics License Application for Priority R
Read more

Merck’s Keytruda plus platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy receives US FDA nod to treat certain patients with locally advanced/metastatic esophageal or GEJ carcinoma

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keytruda, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) (tumors with epicenter 1 to 5 centimeters above the GEJ) carcinoma that is not amenable to surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation in combination with platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. The approval is based on results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-590 trial, which demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) for Keytruda plus fluorouracil (FU) and cisplatin versus FU and cisplatin alone, regardless of histology or PD-L1 expression status. For OS and PFS, Keytruda plus FU and cisplatin reduced the risk of death by 27% (HR=0.73 [95% CI, 0.62-0.86]; p<0.0001) and reduced the risk of disease progression or death
Read more

Tumour-targeting drug paves way for bone cancer treatment

 The treatment of osteosarcoma, the most common tumour of bone, is challenging, but a new study is offering hope to the patients with this disease. The study led by The University of  Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre  found that a drug, known as bone metastasis-targeting peptidomimetic (BMTP-11), has potential as a new therapeutic strategy for this devastating illness. Results from the preclinical study looked at BMTP-11 alone and in combination with the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine. Although osteosarcoma is a relatively rare cancer, it is a leading disease-related cause of death in children and young adults ages 10 to 20. However, over the last 25 years, the five-year survival rate has remained unchanged, and the treatment options for these patients are few. In addition, the side effects of available treatment options often are significant and cumulative, and may cause other health problems and damage to major organs. "What's novel about this treatment is that BMTP
Read more