Takeda Throws $1 Million at F-star to Develop Bispecific Antibody For Novel Cancer Therapies

F-star Therapeutics announced on July 20 that it entered into a licensing agreement with Takeda for the Japanese company to develop a bispecific antibody using F-star’s proprietary Fcab platform. The deal includes a $1 million upfront payment with the potential for $40 million in back-end payments associated with milestones and royalties.

Lending a Hand to Takeda’s Oncology Development

Takeda plans to leverage F-star’s Fcab and mAb2 platforms to develop a bispecific antibody for an undisclosed target. F-star’s bispecific antibody platform allows for two additional antigen binding sites resulting in a tetravalent bispecific antibody which F-star claims can deliver focused, potent, and safe immune activation. 

Kathy Seidl, Ph.D., Head of Oncology Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda, said, “We have an opportunity at Takeda to lead the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies that leverage the power of the innate immune system. We are eager to build on our relationship with F-star and apply their Fcab technology to diversify and accelerate our gamma delta (γδ) T cell engager portfolio in support of our collective pursuit of life-transforming medicines for patients with cancer.”

Under the terms of the deal, Takeda will be responsible for all research, development, and commercialization processes. The agreement grants Takeda a worldwide, exclusive license to develop the bispecific antibody for the undisclosed target. 

The licensing agreement with F-star is just one of Takeda’s efforts to push its gamma delta T-cell engager program. Last year, Takeda acquired GammaDelta Therapeutics to obtain its gamma delta T-cell therapy platforms. In January this year, Takeda announced it planned to acquire GammaDelta spinout, Adaptate Biotherapeutics, to develop gamma delta T-cell engager therapies. 

Related Article: F-star Therapeutics Signs On to invoX Pharma for $161 Million to Stay Afloat

Hanging On Until F-star’s Eventual Acquisition

F-star’s tetravalent platform is its greatest asset, but the $1 million upfront payment seems minor compared to its previous successes. In October last year, F-star coupled with Janssen in a potential $1.35 billion deal to develop up to five bispecific antibodies. That deal included a $17.5 million upfront payment, much bigger than its most recent deal with Takeda. 

The lower price point is likely due to F-star’s recent financial struggles and efforts to stay above water before Sino Pharmaceutical plans to acquire it later this year. In May, F-star announced in an SEC filing that it is facing a large deficit and only has enough money to continue operating until the first quarter of 2023. In June, Sino came to the rescue offering a $161 million buyout of the struggling F-star. 

With the circumstances as they are for F-star, Takeda’s offering is welcome as an independent F-star starts to wind down. Takeda will take the opportunity in stride to expand its oncological horizons by developing a novel bispecific antibody with F-star’s platform. 

Author

Reed Slater