Pfizer promises $ 1.25 billion for the candidate drug in a promising but competitive immunotherapy field

The best drug cancer drugs are small molecules, but the transmission has expanded the portfolio and the pharmaceutical giant pipeline with organic drugs. Its latest agreement puts the pharmaceutical giant in a business camp that turned to China to have the possibility of developing a particular type of immunotherapy.

The drug Pfizer is a license from Shenyang, in China, 3sbio. Depending on the transaction conditions announced earlier this week, Pfizer pays $ 1.25 billion in advance for global rights on the biological, excluding China. But the agreement gives Pfizer the possibility of also guaranteeing the rights to marketing the drug in China. In addition, the Big Pharma has embarked on an investment in stocks of $ 100 million in 3sbio.

The 3SBIO drug, SSGJ-707, treats cancer by blocking two proteins. The first target is PD-1, a protein on T cells which prevents them from recognizing and fighting against cancer cells. The medication Merck Keytruda such a drug of this type, a monoclonal antibody designed to block PD-1. Keytruda’s success, cancer treatment has transformed immunotherapy into a mega-blockbuster product.

An increasing number of businesses try to improve the inhibition of the PD-1 by adding another mechanism of action. The 3SBIO medication is one of them, part of an emerging group of bispecific antibodies that block the PD-1 and the VEGF simultaneously. The 3SBIO drug is currently in clinical development in China for lung cancer non -small cells, metastatic colorectal cancer and gynecological tumors. 3SBIO plans the first phase 3 test of this drug in China later this year.

Pfizer did not hesitate to open his checkbook to obtain drug candidates who diversify his wallet and deepen his pipeline, especially in oncology. Two years ago, Pfizer paid $ 43 billion to acquire Seagen, who specializes in the development of drugs on antibodies (ADC) for cancer. In a note sent to investors on Tuesday, Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger wrote that the 3SBIO medication agreement is suitable for Pfizer.

“We believe that SSGJ-707 was argued well with [Pfizer’s] Existing ADC portfolio and adds another important pipeline candidate to [its] Portfolio in oncology, “said risinger.” However, we will have to assess its competitive differentiation given the size in the category. “”

Turning to Chinese biotechnology companies for promising therapeutic candidates is a hot trend, and it collects the pace while more and more companies are trying to get their hands on bispecific antibodies targeting PD-1 and VEGF. Summit Therapeutics is one of them with a bispecific drug limited by Akeso based in China. Last year, the drug, Ivonescimab, beat Keytruda de Merck in a head-on-one test. Merck added a candidate for bispecific antibodies for the same objectives last year, paying $ 588 million Lanova based in Shanghai $ 588 million for LM-299 rights, which was in phase 1 in China.

Biontech and Instilbio also continue the PD-1 and the VEGF with bispecific antibodies, each with a license under a license of a biotechnology company based in China. Meanwhile, Crescent Biopharma, based in Massachusetts, aims to submit a new request for medication inquiry by the end of this year for its bispecific antibody discovered and developed internally for PD-1 and VEGF; It becomes public in an inverted merger to finance its clinical trial plans.

The PFIZER license contract for SSGJ-707 still needs approvals from 3SBIO shareholders as well as regulators. Companies expect the transaction to end in the third quarter of this year. At the end of the agreement, Pfizer will invest $ 100 million in 3sbio, according to the agreement. 3SBIO could receive up to $ 4.8 billion additional dollars if the drug reaches milestones. Pfizer is also responsible for the payment of Chinese biotechnology fees due to the sales of an approved product.

The location of drug manufacturing operations has become a major problem, as the pharmaceutical industry is based for potential prices imposed on medication and drug ingredients produced abroad. Pfizer said he was planning to make a drug substance for SSGJ-707 on a Sanford site in North Carolina, while the medication itself will be produced in an installation in McPherson, Kansas.

Photo: Dominick Reuter / AFP, via Getty Images