Ipsen and Marengo Therapeutics, have inked a partnership to advance two preclinical candidates from Marengo’s STAR platform into clinical development.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ipsen will make an upfront payment of $45 million to Marengo, with potential milestone payments that could total up to $1.592 billion, plus tiered sales royalties. Marengo will lead preclinical development efforts and cover related costs until the submission of an Investigational New Drug application to the U.S. FDA. Ipsen will assume responsibilities for clinical development and commercialization following the IND submission.
Ipsen focuses on developing drugs in oncology, rare diseases, and neuroscience. Marengo Therapeutics, an ATP company, specializes in developing therapeutics that activate specific T cell responses to combat cancer. Marengo’s STAR platform creates selective T cell activators aimed at generating functional, cancer-killing T cells for solid tumors.
Just a few months ago, Ipsen snagged FDA approval for Onivyde (irinotecan liposome) combined with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin as a first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, based on the NAPOLI 3 trial. Onivyde, a liposomal topoisomerase inhibitor acquired from Merrimack Pharmaceuticals in 2017, disrupts DNA replication in cancer cells.
