Aurigene Discovery Technologies Limited And Pierre Fabre Announce A Licensing Agreement For A New Cancer Therapeutic In Immuno-Oncology: AUNP12, An Immune Checkpoint Modulator Targeting The PD-1 Pathway
CASTRES, France and BANGALORE, India, February 11, 2014 – Pierre Fabre, the third largest French pharmaceutical company, and Aurigene, a leading biotech company based in India, today announced that the two companies have entered into a collaborative license, development and commercialization agreement granting Pierre Fabre global Worldwide rights (excluding India) to a new immune checkpoint modulator, AUNP-12.
AUNP-12 offers a breakthrough mechanism of action in the PD-1 pathway compared to other molecules currently in development in the highly promising immune therapy cancer space. AUNP-12 is the only peptide therapeutic in this pathway and could offer more effective and safer combination opportunities with emerging and established treatment regimens. AUNP-12 will be in development for numerous cancer indications.
Under the terms of this agreement, Aurigene will receive an upfront payment from Pierre Fabre. Aurigene will also receive additional milestone payments based upon the continued development, regulatory progresses and commercialization of AUNP-12.
"We are pleased that Pierre Fabre see the PD-1 program as a strategic asset in their portfolio. Overall, the deal structure, in line with the financial terms that have been seen in this space, demonstrate the importance that Pierre Fabre attach to the program", said CSN Murthy, CEO, Aurigene.
"The plans that Pierre Fabre have detailed for the development of this differentiated asset highlight the long-term opportunities for this novel cancer therapeutic", added Murali Ramachandra, Research Sr VP, Aurigene.
"This agreement, in the field of oncology, is fully consistent with our vision to build Pierre Fabre future in prescription drugs, from a combination of cutting-edge internal R&D capabilities and license partnerships with innovative biotech companies like Aurigene" stated Bertrand Parmentier, CEO, Pierre Fabre.
"With this deal, Pierre-Fabre Pharmaceuticals are reinforcing their portfolio of oncology assets and capitalizing on their proven capabilities in developing biological compounds such as monoclonal antibodies and immuno-conjugates. We have been impressed by the science at Aurigene and encouraged by the differentiated profile reported for AUNP-12" added Frédéric Duchesne, President, Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals.
About immuno-oncology
Immuno-oncology is an emerging field in cancer therapy, where the body's own immune system is harnessed to fight against cancer. This approach of targeting cancer through immune response has had a breakthrough when robust and sustained responses were obtained only upon blocking the immune checkpoint targets (such as PD-1 and CTLA4). Recent successes in clinical trials performed with such therapies suggest that immunotherapy should be considered alongside surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy as the fifth cornerstone of cancer treatment. PD-1 (Programmed cell Death 1) is a receptor that negatively regulates T-cell activation by interacting with specific ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. Tumor cells express these ligands and thereby escape from the action of T-cells.
About AUNP-12
AUNP-12 is a branched 29-amino acid peptide sequence engineered from the PD-L1/ L2 binding domain of PD-1 It blocks the PD-1/PD-L1, PD-1/PD-L2 and PD-L1/CD80 pathways. AUNP-12 is highly effective in antagonizing PD-1 signaling, with desirable in vivo exposure upon subcutaneous dosing. It inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in preclinical models of cancer and is well tolerated with no overt toxicity at any of the tested doses.
About Aurigene
Aurigene is a biotech focused on development of innovative small molecule and peptide therapeutics for Oncology and Inflammation; key focus areas for Aurigene are Immuno-oncology, Epigenetics and the Th17 pathway. Aurigene's PD-1 program is the first of several peptide-based immune checkpoint programs that are at different stages of Discovery. Aurigene has partnered with several big pharma and mid-pharma companies in the US and Europe, and has delivered multiple clinical compounds through these partnerships. With over 500 scientists, Aurigene has collaborated with 6 of the top 10 pharma companies.
Aurigene's pre-clinical pipeline includes (1) Selective and pan-BET Bromodomain inhibitors (2) RoR gamma reverse agonists (3) EZH2 inhibitors (4) NAMPT inhibitors and (5) Several immune check point peptide inhibitor programs.
For more information: https://www.aurigene.com/
About Pierre Fabre:
Pierre Fabre is a privately-owned health care company created in 1961 by Mr Pierre Fabre. It is the second largest French independent pharmaceutical group with 2013 sales amounting to about €2 billion (yet to be audited) across 140 countries. The company is structured around two divisions: Pharmaceuticals (Prescription drugs, OTC, Oral care) and Dermo-cosmetics. Prescription drugs are organized around four main franchises: oncology, dermatology, women's health and neuropsychiatry. Pierre Fabre employs some 10 000 people worldwide, including 1 300 in R&D. The company allocates about 20{4373c5eac72f2e338e1c62e7ffa56ad670cebfc5c328ff71c01bff73ebc0a1df} of its pharmaceuticals sales to R&D and relies on more than 25 years of experience in the discovery, development and global commercialization of innovative drugs in oncology. Pierre Fabre has a long commitment to oncology and immunology with major R&D centers in France: the Pierre Fabre immunology Centre (CIPF) in Saint Julien en Genevois and the Pierre Fabre Research Institute (IRPF) located on the Toulouse-Oncopole campus which has been officially recognized as a National Center of Excellence for cancer research since 2012.
For more information: www.pierre-fabre.com