Gilead Sciences Secures Exclusive Rights to Five Novel Oncology Candidates from Agenus in $150 Million Deal

On December 18, 2018, U.S. biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences reached an agreement with Agenus, a biotech company developing cancer immunotherapies. Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead paid Agenus $150 million to secure exclusive commercialization rights for multiple products in Agenus’s development pipeline.

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on January 24, U.S. local time, Agenus announced the completion of this transaction, granting Gilead exclusive rights to develop and commercialize globally up to five novel immunotherapies developed by Agenus.

In this transaction, Agenus received $120 million in cash, Gilead equity valued at $30 million, and $1.7 billion in research and development funding. Gilead obtained global exclusive rights to the product AGEN1423, as well as exclusive options for the products AGEN1223 and AGEN2373. Additionally, Gilead secured first negotiation rights for two undisclosed preclinical programs.

AGEN1423 is a bispecific antibody capable of simultaneously binding to two different targets to counteract tumor escape mechanisms. Additionally, AGEN1423 has the potential to enhance the activity of myeloid cells, NK cells, T cells, and other cell types. AGEN1223 is also a bispecific antibody; its unique function lies in the selective depletion of regulatory cells that suppress T-cell function within the tumor microenvironment. Agenus has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for AGEN1223. AGEN2373 is a positive regulator of the immune system and a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that enhances the function of T cells and NK cells. Agenus plans to submit an IND application for AGEN2373 in the first half of 2019.

Gilead Sciences, founded in 1987, is a comprehensive pharmaceutical company based in San Francisco, USA. It focuses on areas such as HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases, dedicating itself to developing medications for these life-threatening conditions. The company has successfully developed and launched more than 20 drugs on the market.

Gilead Sciences’ R&D pipeline covers diseases such as HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, and inflammatory conditions. Specifically, there are 5 pipelines for HIV/AIDS, 6 for liver diseases, 9 for oncology, and 8 for inflammation. Among these, the HIV/AIDS pipeline “Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide,” the liver disease pipeline “Selonsertib,” and the oncology pipeline “Axicabtagene ciloleucel” have all reached Phase III clinical trials. The inflammation pipeline is progressing the fastest, with three candidates having completed Phase III clinical trials. Additionally, the company has a pipeline targeting Ebola virus infection, which is currently in Phase II clinical trials.

Since its inception, Gilead Sciences has completed 17 acquisitions. Notably, on August 28, 2017, it acquired Kite Pharma, a developer specializing in CAR-T cancer immunotherapies. This acquisition enabled Gilead to secure axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta), a drug for non-Hodgkin lymphoma that received FDA approval in 2018. The integration of Kite has enriched Gilead’s portfolio of anticancer therapies.

It is also worth mentioning Agenus, which is participating in this transaction. Founded in 1994, Agenus is a company focused on the research and development of cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines. Agenus has a pipeline of up to twenty candidates, primarily comprising immunomodulatory antibodies, vaccines, adjuvants, and adoptive cell therapies. Among these, 12 pipeline candidates have been separately “reserved” by five major pharmaceutical companies. These five partners collaborating with Agenus are GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), AgenTus, Merck & Co., Incyte, and Gilead Sciences, the latter being involved in the current transaction.

Agenus has completed seven rounds of financing to date. Its IPO took place in August 2009, raising $10 million; the most recent round occurred in October 2018, raising $40 million.