Roche has got in on the B7-H3 action, agreeing to $570 million in near-term payments to existing partner MediLink Therapeutics for an antibody-drug conjugate targeting the immune checkpoint protein.
The ADC, dubbed YL201, has been developed with MediLink’s Tumor Microenvironment-Activatable LINker-payload (TMALIN) platform. The biotech has already taken the therapy into a pair of phase 2 studies in China for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Early data from these trials have “demonstrated promising objective response rates and survival benefits” in second-line SCLC patients, MediLink said in the Jan. 8 post-market release.
In return for the rights to YL201 outside China, MediLink will receive upfront and potential near-term milestone payments that could reach a combined $570 million. The Thursday evening release also refers to “additional development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments” tied to the program, but doesn’t provide a figure.
Should YL201 make it to market, MediLink will also be entitled to tiered royalties on net sales of YL201 outside of China.
Roche first began collaborating with MediLink back in January 2024 via a $1 billion biobucks deal centered on YL211, a mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor (c-MET) ADC under development for solid tumors.
“Our deepening collaboration with MediLink on YL201 reflects Roche’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge innovation from around the globe to address unmet patient needs, particularly within oncology and lung cancer as one of our strategic priorities,” Boris Zaïtra, head of corporate business development at Roche, said in the release.
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“We are excited to combine MediLink’s and Roche’s expertise in ADCs with our well-established global development and commercial presence to bring this promising potential therapy option to patients,” Zaïtra added.
Jiaqiang Cai, Ph.D., co-founder, co-CEO and chief scientific officer at MediLink, said YL201 had “demonstrated promising clinical data.”
“This agreement provides YL201, a key asset from our innovative TMALIN platform, with the necessary worldwide reach and resources to potentially become a new treatment option, addressing critical unmet needs for patients with various solid tumors,” Cai added.
B7-H3, an immune checkpoint protein highly expressed on many cancer cells, is already the target of GSK and Hansoh Pharma’s ADC risvutatug rezetecan, which began a global phase 3 study in SCLC in the summer. Meanwhile, Daiichi Sankyo announced last month it had paused enrollment in a phase 3 trial of its Merck & Co.-partnered B7-H3 ADC ifinatamab deruxtecan after an unexpected number of deaths from interstitial lung disease.
