Just in front of its option deadline, Celgene (CELG) has re-upped on an existing research and discovery collaboration with Epizyme (EPZM), a developer of targeted cancer therapies.
Celgene already has ex-US rights to Epizyme’s pinometostat (EPZ-5676), a HMT inhibitor targeting DOT1L that’s currently in phase I development for acute leukemia with alterations in the MLL gene (MLL-r), but the original agreement called for epizyme to continue researching new targets for the collaboration. Celgene and Epizyme inked the partnership in April of 2012, and Celgene’s option to continue the discovery program would have expired this month. The amended agreement, for $10 million up front and up to $610 million in future milestone payments, extends the collaboration by three years and gives Celgene the opt-in on three targets prior to beginning clinical studies. Epizyme will be responsible for leading and funding development for each target candidate through phase I, with Celgene paying an additional fee after. Epizyme will receive a low double-digit percentage royalty on worldwide net sales for two of the product candidates, and on ex-US sales for the third product.
Epizyme’s lead program tazemetostat (EPZ-6438) is a small molecule inhibitor of EZH2 currently being tested in a 150-patient non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma trial, with data due next year. Tazemetostat demonstrated a 60% response rate in an ongoing phase I study.
