The Cancer Letter

The leading source for information on the issues that shape oncology since 1973

Drugs & Targets

Ionis gets $28 million from AstraZeneca for new cancer drug

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print
BYLINE
IN THIS ISSUE
DOWNLOAD PDFTABLE OF CONTENTS

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that it has earned $28 million from AstraZeneca following AstraZeneca’s completion of IND-supporting studies and license of IONIS-KRAS-2.5, or AZD4785. IONIS-KRAS-2.5x is a Generation 2.5 antisense drug discovered by Ionis designed to directly target KRAS, one of the most frequently mutated genes in cancer.

IONIS-KRAS-2.5x will be the first drug to enter clinical development that directly targets KRAS, regardless of mutation type. AstraZeneca will be responsible for further developing and commercializing IONIS-KRAS-2.5.

Ionis and AstraZeneca are collaborating to discover and develop antisense drugs to treat cancer under a Collaboration, License and Development Agreement entered into in December 2012. The collaboration combines AstraZeneca’s experience and expertise in developing anti-cancer agents with Ionis’ antisense technology platform to broaden Ionis’ cancer franchise.

With the completion of the IND-supporting studies for IONIS-KRAS-2.5Rx, Ionis has received more than $85 million in upfront and milestone payments from its oncology collaboration with AstraZeneca and is eligible to earn additional milestone payments as the drug progresses in development as well as royalties on sales of IONIS-KRAS-2.5x if it is commercialized.

AstraZeneca is also evaluating, as part of the oncology collaboration, another drug to treat cancer, AZD9150 (IONIS-STAT3-2.5Rx), in combination with durvalumab, AstraZeneca’s investigational anti-PD-L1 antibody, in patients with head and neck cancer and in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The two companies have also formed a collaboration to discover and develop antisense therapies for treating cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases.

Table of Contents

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Guest Editorial

Rathmell: We must support our junior colleagues
“Empathy and listening is a key place to start”

Just consider for a minute if this was the first year of running your lab, if you were on the job market as a physician or scientist right now, if you were a resident contemplating a career in cancer research after fellowship, if you were a graduate student or postdoc, if you were an undergraduate or a technician who was looking toward graduate school.
By W. Kimryn Rathmell
Guest Editorial

Weill Cancer Hub East to investigate connections between metabolism and anti-tumor immunity
Weill Cornell, Rockefeller, Princeton and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research showcase the power of collaboration

The immune system can be a powerful tool to control cancer. Immune cells within our body detect cancer cells and release payloads that kill them. Transformative science in the last decade has led to the development of therapies that enhance the ability of our immune cells to carry out this function. These therapies, including checkpoint blockade and CAR-T cells, have been lifesaving for many patients that before had untreatable cancer. But, sadly, a majority of patients with advanced solid tumors still succumb to their disease. 
By Jedd D. Wolchok, Joshua D. Rabinowitz and Sohail Tavazoie
Table of Contents

Never miss an issue!

Get alerts for our award-winning coverage in your inbox.

Login

Site license subscribers:
Log in with your IP | Register a sponsored account