Adaptimmune, GSK Expand Immunotherapy Alliance

Adaptimmune and GlaxoSmithKline have expanded their strategic collaboration and licensing agreement for as many as five programs, including the lead NY-ESO TCR program. GSK has an option on the NY-ESO-1 program through clinical proof of concept and, on exercise, will assume full responsibility for the program.
 
Under the expanded agreement, the companies will accelerate the development of Adaptimmune’s NY-ESO therapy into studies in synovial sarcoma and will explore development in myxoid round cell liposarcoma. Additionally, the companies may initiate as many as eight proof-of-principle studies exploring combinations with other therapies, including checkpoint inhibitors.
 
Adaptimmune will conduct the studies and GSK will fund the pivotal studies and share costs of the combination studies under a success based milestone structure. 
 
Adaptimmune is eligible to receive approximately $500 million related to the NY-ESO program, if GSK exercises its option and successfully develops NY-ESO in more than one indication. Adaptimmune is also eligible to receive sales milestones and royalties. GSK has the right to nominate four additional targets and Adaptimmune is eligible to receive further milestone payments.
 
“We are delighted to broaden our collaboration with GSK, which is also fully committed to the development of this revolutionary T-cell therapy,” said James Noble, Adaptimmune’s chief executive officer. “We are working closely with GSK to expedite development of our affinity enhanced T-cell therapy targeting NY-ESO, and if we succeed in generating pivotal data consistent with that of our ongoing studies, we believe it has the potential to be the first engineered T-cell therapy to reach the market.”
 
Dr. Axel Hoos, senior vice presdient Oncology R&D GSK said, “As we highlighted to investors at our R&D event last year, this Adaptimmune collaboration is a key element of that pipeline and is part of a comprehensive program for cell and gene therapy. With this expanded collaboration, we have the opportunity to accelerate the lead program in synovial sarcoma toward pivotal trials and also to investigate several other tumor types and combine the T-cell therapy with immune-modulating therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors.”