GlaxoSmithKline and iTeos sign $2 billion deal to develop cancer treatment

In a move to strengthen the pharmaceutical division’s cancer pipeline, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has signed a $2 billion deal with US biotech iTeos Therapeutics.

The two companies will work together to build a potential cancer treatment and sell it. They are working on developing, and eventually, co-commercializing, EOS-448, which is an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, currently in phase I development. 

Anti-TIGIT treatments are new experimental immuno-therapies against certain cancers. TIGIT and PVRIG are proteins that play a role in the suppression of the immune system. A monoclonal antibody binds with these proteins, potentially enhancing the body’s immune response to a tumor. 

If successful, this project will make GSK’s treatment the only one to target all three known CD226 checkpoints - TIGIT, CD96, and PVRIG. Other known anti-TIGIT treatments include Roche's tiragolumab and Merck & Co’s vibostolimab, which prevent the tumor from evading the immune system.

Dr Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer, and President, R&D, GSK, said, “Based on the underlying science, we believe that 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.”

iTeos will receive an upfront payment of $625 million in addition to $1.45 billion in milestone payments provided the project succeeds.

The two firms will equally split profits in the US and, GSK will receive an exclusive license for commercialization outside of the US, whereas iTeos will receive tiered royalty payments.

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