Date: 2015-08-31
Type of information: Licensing agreement
Compound: pre-clinical compounds targeting Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) and Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2)
Company: Iteos Therapeutics (Belgium) Pfizer (USA - NY)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: licensing collaboration
Action mechanism: enzyme inhibitor/IDO1 inhibitor/TDO inhibitor. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) and Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) are enzymes that break down the amino acid tryptophan. They are expressed in many cancers. Their elevated expression in tumors locally degrades tryptophan, blunting tumor surveillance by the immune system and as such preventing tumor rejection. Specific inhibitors for each enzyme might permit the treatment of a wider variety of tumors, which often express only one of the two enzymes. In tumors that express both enzymes, the combined use of IDO1 and TDO2 inhibitors could reveal complementary benefit for personalized cancer therapy.
Disease:
Details: * On December 8, 2014, iTeos Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration with Pfizer Inc. pursuant to which iTeos will license to Pfizer rights to iTeos’ pre-clinical compounds targeting Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) and Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2). Pfizer will be responsible for the development and commercialization of IDO1 and TDO2 drug candidates. Additionally, the parties will collaborate to discover and validate new targets that play key roles in the ability of tumors to evade immune responses. These new targets will be shared by iTeos and Pfizer for further independent or collaborative development.
Financial terms: iTeos will receive from Pfizer an up-front payment of € 24 million, plus an equity investment, licensing fees and collaborative funding. Further, iTeos will be eligible to earn potential milestone payments from Pfizer based on the achievement of specific development, regulatory and commercial milestones across the IDO1 and TDO2 programs, in addition to royalties on sales. iTeos also has the opportunity to earn additional milestone and royalty payments for any of the new target programs that are advanced by Pfizer.
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