BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Pharmacyclics, J&J deal

October 22, 2012 7:00 AM UTC

Pharmacyclics will receive a $50 million payment from partner Janssen Biotech Inc. after the Johnson & Johnson unit enrolled the fifth patient in the Phase III CLL3001 trial of cancer product ibrutinib. The double-blind trial is comparing ibrutinib plus bendamustine and rituximab against bendamustine/rituximab alone in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small cell lymphocytic lymphoma.

The milestone is the third under last year's deal to co-develop and co-commercialize ibrutinib. In August, Pharmacyclics earned $100 million triggered by the start of the Phase II SPARK trial in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and the Phase III RESONATE trial in CLL and small cell lymphocytic lymphoma. Ibrutinib is a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) inhibitor that covalently binds to cysteine residue 481. Pharmacyclics is eligible for an additional $675 million in development and regulatory milestones (see BioCentury, Dec. 12, 2011 & Aug. 6, 2012). ...