Takeda is paying Innovent Biologics $1.2 billion upfront for rights to two cancer candidates. The deal, which includes (PDF) $10.2 billion in milestones, puts the biologics at the center of Takeda’s efforts to establish growth drivers for the post-Entyvio era.
Inflammatory bowel disease drug Entyvio is central to Takeda’s commercial operations. With a series of patents set to expire through 2032, the drugmaker is preparing for rivals to try to launch biosimilar copies of Entyvio in the coming years. It is unclear exactly when biosimilars will start eroding the drug's sales, but Takeda knows the threat is coming. An attempt to make cell therapy a growth area failed.
Takeda has identified Innovent assets as an answer to the question of which products will drive growth in the 2030s, continuing a string of major deals between global and Chinese drugmakers. The deal gives Takeda rights to two candidates, IBI363 and IBI343, that have shown promise in the treatment of patients with certain solid tumors.
IBI363 is designed to unleash antitumor immune responses by blocking PD-1 signaling while also acting on IL-2 to activate and expand tumor-specific T cells. Multiple companies have bet on IL-2, most notably Bristol Myers Squibb through its huge, ill-fated Nektar Therapeutics deal, without realizing the potential of the cytokine to make cancer immunotherapies more broadly effective.
Innovent is running phase 2 trials to test IBI363 in patients with types of lung and colorectal cancers. A global phase 3 trial in non-small cell lung cancer is expected to start in the coming months. The studies build on data in more than 1,200 patients that have persuaded Innovent IBI363 could become the backbone immuno-oncology treatment.
Takeda will pay 60% of the cost of developing the candidate and pocket 60% of any profits. The Japanese company will lead co-commercialization efforts in the U.S. and have the exclusive right to commercialize the drug outside of the U.S. and China.
IBI343 is a Claudin 18.2-directed antibody-drug conjugate. In a competitive field, Innovent has identified gastrointestinal toxicity as a way to differentiate its ADC from rival assets such as AstraZeneca’s AZD0901.
Innovent is running a phase 3 gastric cancer trial in Japan and China and has completed a global phase 1/2 study. Takeda plans to expand into the first-line gastric and pancreatic cancer settings. The deal gives Takeda the right to develop and commercialize IBI343 outside China.
Takeda has also landed an option on IBI3001, an ADC targeting EGFR and B7H3. Innovent is running a phase 1 solid tumor trial for that asset.