Date: 2017-01-09
Type of information: Milestone
Compound: IPH2102 (lirilumab) and related compounds blocking KIR receptors
Company: Innate Pharma (France) BMS (USA - NY)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: development
production
manufacturing
commercialisation
Action mechanism: monoclonal antibody. Lirilumab of IPH2102 is a fully human monoclonal antibody blocking interaction between Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) on Natural Killer (NK) cells with their ligands. By blocking these receptors, it facilitates activation of NK cells, and, potentially, destruction of tumor cells by the latter. It is currently being tested in a Phase I clinical trial in cancer patients.
Disease: hematologic cancers
Details: * On July 6, 2011, BMS and Innate Pharma have announced a global agreement for the development and commercialization of IPH2102, a novel antibody in Phase I development for the treatment of cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, Innate Pharma will grant to BMS exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize IPH2102 and related compounds blocking KIR receptors. The agreement covers all potential indications for IPH2102. Innate Pharma will continue to develop IPH2102 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) through to the end of Phase II. Innate Pharma will also provide pre-clinical support for the development of IPH2102.
Financial terms: BMS will fund the development of IPH2102, make an upfront payment of $35 million and additional payments of up to $430 million, depending on the achievement of pre-specified milestones during the development and commercialization period, as well as prespecified tiered double-digit royalty payments on worldwide net sales.
Latest news: * On January 9, 2017, Innate Pharma announced that, per the licensing agreement for lirilumab, BMS has paid Innate Pharma a US$15 million milestone payment for the continued exploration of lirilumab in combination with Opdivo® (nivolumab). This milestone payment follows the presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer annual meeting (November 2016) of encouraging preliminary activity results from the cohort of patients with Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) of a phase 1-2 trial. These interim efficacy results - the first report for the combination of an anti-KIR antibody and an anti-PD-1 therapy - indicate that targeting both pathways with lirilumab and nivolumab respectively may provide enhanced clinical activity, particularly in PD-L1 positive tumors, with deep and durable responses in some patients. In total, BMS is currently investigating lirilumab in six trials, across a range of solid and hematological cancer indications, in monotherapy and in combination with other agents, and Innate Pharma is responsible for conducting theEffiKIR trial, a randomized Phase II trial evaluating lirilumab as a single agent in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. * On October 14, 2015, Innate Pharma announced that it has received a US$5 million milestone payment from BMS as part of the lirilumab licencing agreement. This payment was triggered by the dosing of a first patient in a Phase II trial of lirilumab in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/ refractory or high-risk untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. In total, 6 trials are currently being performed with lirilumab, testing a range of solid and hematological cancer indications, multiple rationales and combinations with cytotoxic antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy.
