Date: 2014-04-07
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: oncology molecules based on Starpharma’s dendrimer technology
Company: AstraZeneca (UK) Starpharma (Australia)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D
licensing
Action mechanism: Dendrimers are synthetic nanoscale polymers that are highly regular in size and structure and well suited to pharmaceutical uses. Starpharma has three core development programs: VivaGel® portfolio, drug delivery and agrochemicals with the Company developing a number of products internally and others via commercial partnerships. Starpharma’s dendrimers can be used to enhance the properties of other drugs (extending the duration of activity of the drug in the body, targeting drugs to organs, tissues or molecular receptors, reducing toxic side effects of drugs, increasing solubility, improving efficacy).
Disease: undisclosed cancers
Details: * On September 6, 2012, Starpharma, a leader in the development of dendrimer products for pharmaceutical, life science and other applications has announced the signing of an agreement with AstraZeneca giving AstraZeneca the right to test certain proprietary Starpharma oncology molecules based on Starpharma’s dendrimer technology. Under the agreement AstraZeneca will undertake oncology studies using specific Starpharma drug-dendrimer conjugate molecules. The primary objective of the program is to assess the suitability of the dendrimer constructs for particular applications within the cancer field.
The identity of the anti-cancer molecules to be studied is covered by confidentiality restrictions, but Starpharma notes that the arrangement does not relate to docetaxel or to dendrimer conjugates of docetaxel. Further details of the arrangement between the parties were not disclosed.
Financial terms:
Latest news: * On April 7, 2014, Starpharma has announced the signing of a second, expanded agreement with AstraZeneca in the field of cancer medicine using Starpharma’s proprietary DEP™ dendrimer drug delivery technology. The agreement follows on from an evaluation by AstraZeneca which began in September 2012 of Starpharma’s delivery technology. The new agreement will see the application of Starpharma’s technology to a cancer drug, from AstraZeneca’s pipeline. Under the new agreement, AstraZeneca will provide funding for a preclinical stage cancer research program to be conducted jointly.
