OncoGenex, Teva deal
The partners will terminate a 2009 deal granting Teva exclusive, worldwide rights to develop and commercialize custirsen sodium ( OGX-011). OncoGenex said Teva will pay a $27 million termination fee payable upon the completion of the final agreement, which is expected this month. OncoGenex said that Teva shifted its focus away from oncology R&D. All rights revert back to OncoGenex, which will fund ongoing clinical trials but does not plan to develop its own sales force for the compound. OncoGenex said it will evaluate options, including partnerships, to continue development of custirsen. In April, custirsen missed the primary endpoint of the Phase III SYNERGY trial to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CPRC).
The second-generation antisense inhibitor of serum clusterin mRNA is in two Phase III trials as a second-line treatment with chemotherapy: the AFFINITY study to treat metastatic CPRC and the ENSPIRIT trial to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (see BioCentury, Jan. 4, 2010 & BioCentury, May 5, 2014). ...