(Alliance News) - GlaxoSmithKline PLC on Monday said it is partnering with iTeos Therapeutics Inc to co-develop and commercialise EOS-448, an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody currently in phase one development as a potential cancer treatment.
iTeos is set to receive USD625 million as an upfront payment, and could also receive up to USD1.45 billion in milestone payments on top should the EOS-448 programme meet development and commercial milestones.
Shares in GSK were up 0.4% at 1,408.73 pence in London at midday, while shares in Nasdaq constituent iTeos surged 64% pre-market in New York.
Within the collaboration, GSK and iTeos will share responsibility and costs for the global development of EOS-448 and will jointly commercialise and equally split profit in the US. Outside of the US, however, GSK will receive an exclusive license for commercialisation and iTeos will receive tiered royalty payments.
EOS-448 is currently in an open-label phase one study in patients with advanced solid tumours. GSK and iTeos plan to start combination studies of EOS-448 with dostarlimab in 2022.
FTSE 100-listed pharmaceutical firm GSK said: "Since GSK validated the role of CD226 axis targets as important in oncology, it has been strategically building a carefully constructed set of assets to target this network of checkpoint inhibitors. The addition of EOS-448 results in GSK being the only company with antibodies targeting all three known checkpoints - TIGIT (via EOS-448), CD96 (via GSK'608), and PVRIG (via GSK'562)."
Hal Barron, chief scientific officer & president of R&D at GSK, said the firm believes combinations of a PD-1, TIGIT, CD96 and PVRIG inhibitor could become "transformative medicines for many patients with cancer".
"We are excited to collaborate with the team at iTeos and together we can play a leading role in the next generation of immuno-oncology therapies," said Barron.
By Lucy Heming; lucyheming@alliancenews.com
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Glaxosmithkline (GSK)