A piece of the anti-PD-1 pie

“We are excited about partnering on our anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint antibody with Servier, which is recognized for its scientific excellency and as a pioneer in CAR-T therapies. This agreement represents validation for Sorrento’s antibody technologies and R&D capabilities,” Dr. Henry Ji, president and CEO of Sorrento, said in a press release. “This also further establishes Sorrento as a notable immuno-oncology company with a comprehensive portfolio of clinical stage and preclinical immunotherapies. We look forward to working closely with the Servier team and growing this global partnership.”

Per the terms of the agreement, Servier will receive an exclusive worldwide license to STI-A1110, covering all indications, including hematological and solid tumor cancers, as well as full rights to develop, register and commercialize the products, and will be responsible for associated costs.

In return, Servier will make a non-refundable upfront payment to Sorrento of €25 million (approximately $27.7 million). Sorrento is eligible to receive development milestone payments for the initial product and each additional product, as well as up to €710 million (approximately $786.1 million) in various payments based on commercial sales milestones related to annual net sales levels for the initial product and each additional product. Sorrento also stands to receive variable royalties on the sales of all commercialized products ranging from high single-digit to double-digit percentages.

“We have tested STI-A1110 in preclinical studies conducted at Servier and we believe that, used in combination with several products from our portfolio, it will lead to the development of new treatments for hematological as well as solid tumor cancers,” commented Dr. Jean-Pierre Abastado, Servier's director of the Oncology Innovation Therapeutic Pole.

This agreement comes roughly a month after Sorrento announced another cancer-focused deal, this one with 3SBio. Through its subsidiary TNK Therapeutics Inc., Sorrento established a joint venture agreement with Shenyang Sunshine Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (3SBio) for the development and commercialization of proprietary immunotherapies, including those developed from, including or using TNK's chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) technology targeting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) positive cancers.

The terms of the joint venture agreement stipulate that 3SBio will make total contributions of $10 million to the joint venture, while TNK will grant it an exclusive license to its CEA CAR-T technology and two additional CARs for cellular therapy for the Greater China market, including Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Initially, 3SBio will own 51 percent of the joint venture, with TNK holding 49 percent.

"3SBio is committed to introducing innovative biologic medicines for unmet medical needs in China, and we look forward to collaborating with Sorrento to advance our CAR-T program into clinical trials in China. CAR-T technology is an important and promising approach to treating cancers, particularly for patients in advanced or metastatic stages of the disease. Our first candidate is aimed at CEA-positive cancers, which include colorectal, lung, liver and breast cancers," remarked Dr. Jing Lou, chairman and CEO of 3SBio.