Date: 2013-07-03
Type of information: Development agreement
Compound: TG1042
Company: Transgene (France) Ascend Biopharmaceuticals (Australia)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: development
licensing
commercialisation
Action mechanism: TG1042 (now ASN-002 at Ascend) is an adenovirus-based immunotherapy. This recombinant adenovirus is encoding interferon gamma (IFNy). The mechanism of action of TG1042 relies on gene transfer–mediated antigen independent immunotherapy by intratumoral delivery. Recombinant IFNy (rIFNy) has shown efficacy as an anti-cancer agent when administered systemically in humans. The rationale for using Ad-IFNy is based on a direct delivery of IFNy via the viral vector into the tumor micro-environment. Transcription and translation of the IFNy DNA in the infected cells will lead to sustained local concentration of the IFNy protein without the need of infecting all the cells present in the tumor mass and keeping systemic IFNy levels low enough to prevent toxic effects.
Disease:
Details: * On July 3, 2013, Transgene, a biopharmaceutical company that develops targeted immunotherapy products to treat major unmet medical needs in cancer and chronic infectious diseases, has announced it is granting Ascend Biopharmaceuticals, an emerging privately-held Australian immunotherapy company, a license to develop and commercialize TG1042 in basal cell carcinoma, a highly prevalent form of skin cancer, as well as in two other cancer indications. Transgene retains rights to other potential indications.
TG1042 (now ASN-002 at Ascend) is an adenovirus-based immunotherapy that expects to enter phase 1/2 clinical trial in nodular basal cell carcinoma in Australia later in 2013. TG1042 was previously licensed to Virax, another Australia-based immunotherapy company. This license agreement was terminated in 2012, when Virax discontinued its activities. Rights were then granted back to Transgene.
Terms and conditions of the license to Ascend were not disclosed.
Financial terms:
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