'Roche finds another oncology gem in China with $1.5B B cell disease partnership'

 

Roche has tapped Simcere Zaiming for a new T cell engager that could have broad application in B cell–mediated diseases including lymphoma and autoimmune conditions.

Roche has scored a hat trick in Asia, signing a third licensing deal worth a potential $1.5 billion with a biotech there in just over a week. This time, the Swiss pharma will work with China’s Simcere Zaiming on a T cell engager for B cell–mediated diseases.

At the heart of the deal is SIM0660, a trispecific antibody that targets CD79A, CD19 and CD3. These targets could hold therapeutic potential in B cell–mediated diseases, which can include certain lymphomas and autoimmune conditions like lupus and arthritis, Simcere said in a Tuesday release.

Simcere Zaiming, which is a subsidiary of China’s Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, will receive $75 million upfront and could be eligible for $1.53 billion in milestones and other payments, plus royalties.

SIM0660 is currently in early-stage clinical trials evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in B cell-mediated diseases, a Roche spokesperson told BioSpace. This includes newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma. The focus of the Simcere collaboration will be on malignancies, the spokesperson said.

The therapies could provide an alternative for patients who have already received CD20- or CD19- directed therapies, per Simcere’s Tuesday press release.

SIM0660 was developed using Simcere Zaiming’s T cell engager poly-specific antibody technology. The therapy has one arm that engages the CD3 antigen on T cells. This CD3-engaging arm also has binding domains to interact with the B cell antigens CD79a and CD19, with the therapy intended to trigger cytotoxicity while limiting the cytokine release that can lead to adverse safety events.

Roche has been busy in Asia these past few months. The Simcere partnership is the pharma’s third in the region in just 8 days. Last month, Roche’s Genentech signed a deal worth up to $2.3 billion with Hanmi Pharma to work on a novel therapy for weight loss. A few days later, Genentech announced an up to $1 billion tie up with China’s DualityBio to find new antibody-drug conjugates that can tackle cancer drug resistance.

Simcere Pharmaceutical, too, is no stranger to this type of dealmaking. The conglomerate has signed six out-licensing transactions that could total $6.1 billion if all milestones are met. This includes a January agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to work on a new inflammatory bowel disease medicine that could be worth up to $1.26 billion.

https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/roche-finds-another-oncology-gem-in-asia-with-1-5b-b-cell-disease-partnership