Kite And Arcellx Join Forces for Developing Cell Therapy targeting Multiple Myeloma

Kite Pharma, Inc., a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, and Arcellx, Inc. announced a global strategic collaboration last week to co-develop and co-commercialize Arcellx’s lead late-stage product candidate, CART-ddBCMA, for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, and the deal value reached $325 million.

Related article: Cell Therapy as a Pillar of Future Therapeutics, an Interview with Alex Huang, Vice President and Head of Cell Therapy at BeiGene 

A Possibly Best-in-class Treatment for the Incurable Disease

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare blood cancer that affects plasma cells and is currently incurable for most cases. Malignant plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, crowding out the normal plasma cells that help fight infection and causing bone destruction. These abnormal cells also produce an abnormal antibody called myeloma protein (M protein), causing kidney damage and impaired immune functions.

CART-ddBCMA is Arcellx’s BCMA-specific CAR T-cell therapy comprising autologous T cells that have been genetically modified to target multiple myeloma. This therapy is currently being investigated in a pivotal Phase 2 study called iMMagine-1 for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In addition, it has been granted Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Joining Forces for the New Myeloma Therapy

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023. Upon closing, Arcellx will receive an upfront cash payment of $225 million and $100 million equity investment as well as other potential contingent payments. The companies will share development, clinical trial, and commercialization costs for CART-ddBCMA. Outside the US, Kite will commercialize the product and Arcellx will receive royalties on sales. After completion of the technical transfer, Kite will be responsible for manufacturing.

“Cell therapy has proven it can change the way cancer is treated by creating a potentially curative therapy for an individual patient, engineered from their own T-cells. The collaboration with Arcellx enables Kite to expand into a new area of high unmet need and bring a potentially best-in-class cell therapy to help many patients,” said Christi Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of Kite. 

“This collaboration marks a significant achievement for the myeloma field and Arcellx,” said Rami Elghandour, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Arcellx. “Combining our potentially best-in-class CART-ddBCMA therapy for multiple myeloma with Kite’s global leadership in cell therapy provides the foundation for us to commercialize our therapy at scale. Most importantly, this collaboration is focused on accelerating access for patients in need.

Author

Richard Chau