Poseida Enters Strategic Collaboration with Roche for Cell Therapies for Blood Cancers

Poseida Therapeutics has entered into a broad strategic collaboration and license agreement with Roche to develop multiple, off-the-shelf, CAR-T therapies directed to hematologic malignancies.

Photo: Mark Gergen, CEO of Poseida

The global collaboration covers the research and development of existing and novel allogenic cell therapies against targets in multiple myeloma, B-cell lymphomas, and other hematologic indications.

Under the agreement, Poseida will receive $110 million upfront and could receive up to $110 million in near-term milestones and other payments in the next several years. In addition, Poseida is eligible to receive research, development, launch, and net sales milestones and other payments potentially up to $6 billion in aggregate value, as well as tiered net sales royalties into the low double digits, across multiple programs.

“We are excited to partner and collaborate with Roche, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies, which has a successful track record in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines,” said Mark Gergen, CEO of Poseida. “Roche is an ideal strategic partner for Poseida with its industry-leading R&D capabilities in oncology, complementary technologies and expertise, and global regulatory and commercial capabilities.”

The agreement provides Roche either exclusive rights or options to develop and commercialize a number of allogeneic CAR-T programs in Poseida’s portfolio that are directed to hematologic malignancies, including P-BCMA-ALLO1, an allogeneic CAR-T for the treatment of multiple myeloma and for which a Phase 1 study is underway, and P-CD19CD20-ALLO1, an allogeneic dual CAR-T for the treatment of B-cell malignancies with an IND expected in 2023.

Building on complementary expertise and capabilities, the parties will also collaborate in a research program to create and develop next-generation features and improvements for allogeneic CAR-T therapies, from which they would jointly develop additional allogeneic CAR-T product candidates directed to existing and new hematologic targets.

For a subset of both the Poseida portfolio programs licensed or optioned to Roche and future collaboration programs, Poseida will conduct the phase 1 studies and manufacture clinical materials before transitioning the programs to Roche for further development and commercialization. Roche will be solely responsible for the late-stage clinical development and global commercialization of all products that are subject to the collaboration.

Author: Rare Daily Staff