Pfizer inks licensing deal with Seattle biotech firm

Pfizer and Seattle-based biotech company Kineta Immuno-Oncology (KIO) have signed a research and licensing agreement worth a potential $520 million.

KIO is a subsidiary of biotech firm Kineta Inc.

The agreement was announced in a press release issued yesterday, December 17.

The deal will see the companies collaborate to develop new cancer immunotherapies. KIO will receive $15 million up front, while Pfizer will gain exclusive rights to KIO’s RIG-I screening platform. It is hoped this technology can lead to “both direct tumour cell killing and enhanced anti-tumour immune responses”.

According to the statement, KIO is also eligible to receive up to $505 million in research and development (R&D) sales over the course of the deal. Pfizer will also fund Kineta’s efforts on RIG-I target related research for three years.

Robert Abraham, senior vice president and group head of Pfizer’s oncology R&D group, said: “Therapies that trigger activation of the innate immune response in tumours have significant potential to expand the number of patients who will benefit from cancer immunotherapy, especially if they can be administered systemically.”

Kineta CEO Shawn Iadonato noted that deal will help accelerate the company’s RIG-I immuno-oncology programme.

It is the latest licensing deal involving Pfizer. Earlier this month, LSIPR  reported that the company was granted a non-exclusive licence to AbbVie’s Humira IP.

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