Daiichi Sankyo had already been developing an ADC using an antibody licensed from Glycotope, and now the Japanese company has acquired outright rights to the antibody in question, gatipotuzumab. The deal, worth $133m, gets Daiichi off the hook for all potential milestones and royalties for products that include gatipotuzumab. Perhaps Daiichi has plans for gatipotuzumab beyond DS-3939, the tumour-associated MUC1-targeting ADC it’s been developing under the 2018 deal between the companies; that asset is currently in a global phase 1/2 solid tumour trial. Hitting TA-MUC1, instead of just MUC1, is said to allow more precise targeting to cancer cells. While there are a couple of anti-MUC1 ADCs in the clinic (including Biocytogen’s DM002, which also hits HER3), there are no other active TA-MUC1-targeting projects in development, according to OncologyPipeline. Glycotope had been testing gatipotuzumab alone, but things have gone quiet since results from the solid tumour Gatto trial; the group had previously highlighted other preclinical assets, including a T-cell engager and Car-T, that have since fallen by the wayside. Maybe Daiichi has similar plans, or perhaps it’s just taken a chance to free itself from any future payments around DS-3939. Daiichi’s clinical-stage ADC pipelineProjectTargetPayloadPartnerStatusEnhertuHER2Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)AstraZenecaApprovedDatroway (dato-dxd)TROP2Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)AstraZenecaApproved in Japan; FDA decision in 2nd-line breast cancer expected Jan 2025Patritumab-dxdHER3Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)Merck & CoCRL Jun 2024; ph3 Herthena-Lung02 toplined positive Sep 2024Ifinatamab-dxdB7-H3Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)Merck & CoPh3 in 2nd-line SCLC & oesophageal cancersRaludotatug-dxdCDH6Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)Merck & CoPh3 in 2nd-line ovarian cancerDS-3939TA-MUC1Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor)NonePh1/2 in solid tumoursDS-9606Claudin6Modified pyrrolobenzodiazepineNonePh1 in Claudin6+ve solid tumours; initial data at ESMO 2024:Source: OncologyPipeline.
Daiichi Sankyo had already been developing an ADC using an antibody licensed from Glycotope, and now the Japanese company has acquired outright rights to the antibody in question, gatipotuzumab. The deal, worth $133m, gets Daiichi off the hook for all potential milestones and royalties for products that include gatipotuzumab. Perhaps Daiichi has plans for gatipotuzumab beyond DS-3939, the tumour-associated MUC1-targeting ADC it’s been developing under the 2018 deal between the companies; that asset is currently in a global phase 1/2 solid tumour trial. Hitting TA-MUC1, instead of just MUC1, is said to allow more precise targeting to cancer cells. While there are a couple of anti-MUC1 ADCs in the clinic (including Biocytogen’s DM002, which also hits HER3), there are no other active TA-MUC1-targeting projects in development, according to OncologyPipeline. Glycotope had been testing gatipotuzumab alone, but things have gone quiet since results from the solid tumour Gatto trial; the group had previously highlighted other preclinical assets, including a T-cell engager and Car-T, that have since fallen by the wayside. Maybe Daiichi has similar plans, or perhaps it’s just taken a chance to free itself from any future payments around DS-3939.
Daiichi’s clinical-stage ADC pipeline
| Project | Target | Payload | Partner | Status |
|---|
| Enhertu | HER2 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | AstraZeneca | Approved |
| Datroway (dato-dxd) | TROP2 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | AstraZeneca | Approved in Japan; FDA decision in 2nd-line breast cancer expected Jan 2025 |
| Patritumab-dxd | HER3 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | Merck & Co | CRL Jun 2024; ph3 Herthena-Lung02 toplined positive Sep 2024 |
| Ifinatamab-dxd | B7-H3 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | Merck & Co | Ph3 in 2nd-line SCLC & oesophageal cancers |
| Raludotatug-dxd | CDH6 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | Merck & Co | Ph3 in 2nd-line ovarian cancer |
| DS-3939 | TA-MUC1 | Deruxtecan (topo1 inhibitor) | None | Ph1/2 in solid tumours |
| DS-9606 | Claudin6 | Modified pyrrolobenzodiazepine | None | Ph1 in Claudin6+ve solid tumours; initial data at ESMO 2024: |
