The $100 million deal partners the firms in the development and manufacture of lentiviral vectors for the treatment of hemophilia.
Gene and cell therapy company, Oxford BioMedica has announced the completion of a collaboration & license agreement with Bioverativ Inc. in the treatment of hemophilia, in which Oxford BioMedica will manufacture and develop lentiviral vectors for the company. In addition to licensing Oxford BioMedica’s LentiVector Enabled technology, Bioverativ will also have access to its industrial-scale vector manufacturing technology.
Bioverativ will pay $5 million up-front to Oxford BioMedica. The company is also able to receive milestone payment, which will be worth in excess of $100 million, as well as an undisclosed amount on the royalties of the net sales on Bioverativ's lentiviral vector hemophilia products. In addition to this, Bioverativ will finance all process development and scale-up to take place on all lentiviral vector haemophilia products produced at Oxford BioMedica. The agreement also allows for a clinical supply agreement for GMP manufacturing of hemophilia products at Oxford BioMedica.
John Dawson, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford BioMedica, commented on the technology and the agreement. "Today's news demonstrates the value of our LentiVector Enabled platform and our leading capabilities and reputation in the industrial scale-up for lentiviral vectors for clinical and commercial supply. Bioverativ's investment in hemophilia gene therapy underlines the potential of lentiviral vectors for use for in vivo gene therapy. This new deal, potentially worth in excess of $100m, demonstrates Oxford BioMedica's strategy of building multiple partnerships with leaders in their therapeutic categories and will support the Group's continued growth,” Dawson commented.
Bioverativ is currently being acquired by Sanofi for $11.6 billion. LentiVector is a lentiviral-based gene delivery system. It has been designed to overcome any challenges with delivery or safety that have been typically associated with earlier-generation vectors. According to Oxford BioMedica, the platform’s advantages include large therapeutic payloads (up to 9 kb), permanent modification of dividing and nondividing cells, and no pre-existing immunity. The vector platform is also able to integrate genes into nondividing cells (including in the brain and retina). The company has cited long-term studies that indicate that gene expression may be maintained indefinitely—meaning a single administration can lead to a permanent benefit.