Date: 2017-05-04
Type of information: Milestone
Compound: novel small molecule therapeutics targeting histone methyltransferases including GSK3326595
Company: Epizyme (USA - MA) GSK (UK)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D - commercialisation
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details:
- • On January 10, 2011, Epizyme announced a worldwide strategic alliance with GSK to discover, develop, and market novel small molecule therapeutics targeting histone methyltransferases (HMTs), an important class of epigenetic enzymes, for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, directed to three targets. This alliance leverages Epizyme’s unique HMT discovery platform, including its proprietary chemical library, expertise, and intellectual property, to discover and develop HMT therapeutics against the set of targets to be included in the collaboration.
Financial terms:
- Under the terms of the agreement, Epizyme will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, as well as research funding. Epizyme is eligible to receive more than $630 million in total milestone payments if medicines are commercialized for all targets in the collaboration. Additionally, Epizyme is eligible to receive up to double-digit royalties on net sales of products resulting from the alliance. For each target in the collaboration, Epizyme will be primarily responsible for research up to development candidate selection, and GSK will be solely responsible for development and commercialization.
Latest news:
- • On May 4, 2017, Epizyme announced it has earned a $10 million milestone payment from GSK. The milestone payment follows GSK's initiation of GLP toxicology studies for a first-in-class methyltransferase inhibitor discovered by Epizyme and licensed to GSK. Epizyme has earned $69 million in up-front, research, and milestone payments to date, and may receive up to an additional $607 million from GSK if all milestones are met for all three programs. Epizyme is eligible to receive up to double-digit royalties on worldwide net sales of collaboration products.
- • On September 15, 2016, Epizyme announced it has earned a $6 million milestone payment from GSK. The milestone payment follows GSK's initiation of patient dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of GSK3326595 (formerly EPZ015938), a first-in-class protein arginine methyltransferase-5 (PRMT5) inhibitor discovered by Epizyme and licensed to GSK. PRMT5 is a protein methyltransferase that is associated with a number of human cancers.
- GSK has initiated a Phase 1, dose-escalation study to investigate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and clinical activity of GSK3326595 in patients with solid tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
GSK3326595 is the first of these to enter the clinic. GSK holds worldwide rights to all three programs. Epizyme has earned $59 million in up-front, research, and milestone payments to date, and may receive up to an additional $617 million from GSK if all milestones are met for all three programs. Epizyme is eligible to receive up to double-digit royalties on worldwide net sales of collaboration products.
Is general: Yes
