AVEO Pharmaceuticals and Boehringer Ingelheim in manufacturing agreement
Deal covers large-scale process development and clinical manufacturing of ficlatuzumab
AVEO Pharmaceuticals and Boehringer Ingelheim have entered into an agreement for large-scale process development and clinical manufacturing of ficlatuzumab, AVEO’s novel HGF inhibitory antibody that is currently in Phase 2 clinical development in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Boehringer Ingelheim will produce ficlatuzumab for clinical trials at its biopharmaceutical site in Fremont, US. AVEO retains all rights to the development and commercialisation of ficlatuzumab. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
‘We believe Boehringer Ingelheim is an ideal manufacturing partner based on its expertise in monoclonal antibodies,’ said Elan Ezickson, executive vice president and chief business officer at AVEO. ‘This agreement is further evidence of the progress we are making in the clinical development of ficlatuzumab, and we look forward to working with Boehringer Ingelheim to prepare for the manufacturing activities for ficlatuzumab that would support Phase 3 and beyond.’
According to Frank Ternes, senior vice president of the Contract Manufacturing Business Biopharmaceuticals at Boehringer Ingelheim, the project is an important milestone for the company’s Fremont site and is a further confirmation that its expansion into the US is of added value for its customers.
