BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Japan approves Seattle Genetics' Adcetris

January 18, 2014 2:17 AM UTC

Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) said Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved Adcetris brentuximab vedotin to treat patients with CD30-positive relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Seattle Genetics said it is eligible to receive $9 million in milestones from partner Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. once a final price is determined for Adcetris in Japan. Adcetris is now approved in 39 countries, including the U.S., where it has accelerated approval, and the EU, where it has conditional approval.

Seattle Genetics is co-developing Adcetris with Millennium worldwide except in Japan, where the subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4502) is responsible for development. Millennium has marketing rights outside the U.S. and Canada, where Seattle Genetics retains rights. Adcetris is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) composed of an anti- CD30 mAb and monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). ...