Novartis Halts Development of TGF-β Monoclonal Antibody NIS793, Wasting Nearly $100 Million Investment

On August 25, an SEC filing by XOMA Corporation revealed that Novartis had informed the company of its plan to halt development activities related to NIS793 (TGF-β monoclonal antibody). Novartis will cease patient enrollment in the remaining ongoing TGF-β clinical research programs and will collect all data upon the completion of these studies.

XOMA signed an exclusive license agreement with Novartis on September 30, 2015, granting Novartis global development and commercialization rights for NIS793. The upfront payment was $37 million, and XOMA is eligible to receive up to $480 million if all development, regulatory, and commercial milestones are achieved.

On October 8, 2020, NIS793 entered the Phase II clinical research stage for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer, and XOMA Corporation received a $25 million milestone payment as a result; On November 4, 2021, NIS793 advanced to the Phase III clinical research stage for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer, and XOMA Corporation received another $35 million milestone payment.

Represented by Merck's TGF-β/PD-L1 bifunctional fusion protein bintrafusp alfa, TGF-β-targeted therapies were once highly popular. In 2021, bintrafusp alfa cast a shadow over the development of drugs targeting this point. Now, Novartis' decision to abandon the development of this product, which had progressed to Phase III, means that nearly 100 million US dollars of investment has gone down the drain.

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