Teva makes additional investment in CureTech
Further expands oncology pipeline
Israeli pharmaceutical firm Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is to make an additional US$19m investment in CureTech on the back of positive final results from a Phase II trial in diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma (DLBCL) using CT-011, an investigational anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody.
The new investment will bring Teva’s stake in CureTech to 75%, with an option to reach full ownership of the firm, which is also based in Israel.
The agreement could also lead to financing of up to $50m in r&d funding for the programme, which is heading for Phase III trials.
‘This investment is part of Teva's strategy to expand its branded activities into specialist therapeutic areas, such as oncology,’ said Aharon Schwartz, head of Teva's Innovative Ventures.
The principal investigator in the Phase II study, Leo Gordon, director of the Lymphoma Program at Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, said: ‘The observation that there is a surge of effector memory cells and the signal that there is an improvement in PFS in a high risk group of patients with relapsed large cell lymphoma suggests considerable biologic and clinical relevance to CT-011 and is a compelling argument for a Phase III trial.
‘A successful trial could make this the standard of care in the setting of relapsed lymphoma or even in high risk lymphoma after initial therapy, but more importantly, lead the way towards the use of PD-1 inhibitors in settings in which enhanced innate immunity is desirable.’
CureTech intends to start a Phase III trial in this indication.
The company said it also has an ongoing Phase II trial for colorectal cancer, and intends to start a third Phase II trial in metastatic melanoma in the near future.
Additional potential indications are also being explored.
