Date: 2016-08-03
Type of information: Termination of an agreement
Compound: multi-antigen DNA immunotherapies targeting prostate cancer and hepatitis B (INO-5150, INO-1800) and CELLECTRA® electroporation technology
Company: Roche (Switzerland) Inovio Pharmaceuticals (USA - PA)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology - Infectious diseases
Type agreement: R&D
licensing
commercialisation
Action mechanism:
Disease: hepatitis B, cancer
Details: * On September 10, 2013, Roche and Inovio Pharmaceuticals have announced that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to research, develop and commercialize Inovio’s highly-optimized, multi-antigen DNA immunotherapies targeting prostate cancer and hepatitis B. The licensed compounds are currently in preclinical development and have generated robust T-cell responses in animal models.Roche acquired an exclusive license for Inovio’s DNA-based vaccines INO-5150 (targeting prostate cancer) and INO-1800 (targeting hepatitis B) as well as the use of Inovio’s CELLECTRA® electroporation technology for delivery of the vaccines. Roche also obtained an option to license additional vaccine opportunities in connection with a collaborative research program in oncology. Roche and Inovio will collaborate to further develop INO-5150 and INO-1800.Inovio has reported preclinical data showing its hepatitis B vaccine (INO-1800) generated strong T-cell and antibody responses that led to the elimination of targeted liver cells in mice. These results indicate this DNA vaccine’s potential to treat hepatitis B infection and prevent further development of the infection into liver cancer in humans. In a preclinical study, researchers found the vaccine-specific T-cells exhibited a killing function, and could migrate to and stay in the liver and cause clearance of target cells without evidence of liver injury. This was the first study to provide evidence that intramuscular immunization can induce killer T-cells that can migrate to the liver and eliminate target cells. To provide worldwide rights to Roche, Inovio has re-acquired its hepatitis B, Asian-country rights from Inovio’s international affiliate.Inovio’s dual-antigen synthetic DNA vaccine (INO-5150) targets prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). A study in monkeys showed that vaccination with INO-5150 generated strong and robust T-cell immune responses that were the highest generated by a PSA-based immunotherapy in animal studies and were similar to the immune responses generated by VGX-3100, Inovio's phase II-stage therapeutic HPV vaccine that generated best-in-class T-cell responses in a phase I study.Inovio’s SynCon® DNA vaccine for prostate cancer was designed with PSA and PSMA synthetic consensus immunogens based on human and macaque sequences, resulting in amino acid sequences that differ slightly from the native human protein.
Financial terms: Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will make an upfront payment of $10 million to Inovio. Roche will also provide preclinical R&D support and payments for near-term regulatory milestones as well as payments upon reaching certain development and commercial milestones potentially up to USD $412.5 million. Additional development milestone payments could also be made to Inovio if Roche pursues other indications with INO-5150 or INO-1800. In addition, Inovio is entitled to receive up to double-digit tiered royalties on product sales.
Latest news: * On August 3, 2016, Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced the company will continue to develop its hepatitis B DNA immunotherapy (INO-1800) independently following Roche’s notice that it will discontinue its collaboration with Inovio and its development of INO-1800. INO-1800 was licensed to Roche from Inovio in 2013. All of Roche's rights to INO-1800, including the right to license the product to other parties, will be returned. Inovio will continue to advance its current phase 1 study of INO-1800, which is enrolling as planned in 30 clinical sites in the U.S. and Asia-Pacific regions. Inovio anticipates completing enrollment in the first half of 2017 and expects results in the second half of 2017. * On April 21, 2015, Inovio Pharmaceuticals announced that it has initiated a phase I trial to evaluate Inovio's DNA immunotherapy in patients who are chronically infected with hepatitis B. In 2013, Roche and Inovio entered into a partnership to co-develop and commercialize Inovio's hepatitis B immunotherapy. This trial initiation triggers a $3 million milestone payment from Roche to Inovio.
