Date: 2012-07-27
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: alpha radio-immunotherapy platform
Company: Roche (Switzerland) Areva (France)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D
Action mechanism: Alpha radio-immunotherapy is a novel cancer treatment with several advantages over conventional radiotherapy. Compared to other types of radiation, alpha radiation travels only short distances in human tissue, so its energy is absorbed in a smaller area for improved cell death while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Therefore, by targeting cancer cells with highly specific antibodies combined with Lead-212, there is an opportunity to more precisely irradiate and kill cancerous cells.
Disease: undisclosed malignant disease with a high unmet medical need
Details: Roche and Areva Med, a subsidiary of Areva, have a entered into a strategic collaboration to create a novel, advanced alpha radio-immunotherapy platform to target and kill cancer cells. The agreement will focus on malignant disease with a high unmet medical need. Under this exclusive agreement, Roche’s Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) organization and Areva Med will assess the efficacy of combining Roche-engineered antibodies with Areva Med’s radionuclide, Lead-212, a compound that shows promise in treating some types of cancer. Roche retains exclusive rights to commercialise the cancer radio-immunotherapy after clinical development. The alliance combines Roche’s expertise in engineered antibodies with Areva Med’s proficiency in developing radioactive isotopes.
Areva Med is an Areva subsidiary specializing in the development of innovative therapies to fight cancer. Areva Med has developed new processes for producing high purity ²¹²Pb, a rare radioactive isotope that is currently at the heart of promising nuclear medicine research to develop new treatments against some of the most aggressive forms of cancer. In 2011, Areva Med acquired Macrocyclics, the global leader for metal chelators, who will also participate in the collaboration with Roche. Areva Med is also associated with world-class scientific partners, such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
Financial terms:
Latest news:
