Sanofi in $50m oncology collaboration

Sanofi has partnered with biotechnology company  Revolution Medicines to develop treatments for multiple cancers.

Under the agreement, announced yesterday, the companies will develop and commercialise cancer therapies involving SHP2 inhibitors, which “are designed to reduce cell growth signalling that is overactive in cancer”.

SHP2 is a cellular enzyme that plays an important role in regulating the immune system. The first-in-human clinical trials are expected to begin later this year.

The collaboration will build on Revolution’s existing precision oncology discoveries and preclinical development and will apply Sanofi’s research and development (R&D) in oncology.

Mark Goldsmith, president and CEO of Revolution, said his company has made excellent progress in clarifying the role of SHP2 in cancer.

He added: “The exciting collaboration benefits from the innovation culture and scientific capabilities of our team and the proven oncology R&D capabilities and global commercial resources of Sanofi to continue this momentum and maximise the potential impact for cancer patients.”

Revolution will receive a fee of $50 million as part of the agreement, and Sanofi will also cover the R&D costs of the joint programme. Overall, Revolution could receive more than $500 million in development and milestone payments.

In return, Sanofi will acquire an exclusive worldwide licence for the global commercialisation of any approved products targeting SHP2.

Joanne Lager, head of oncology development at Sanofi, said: “We look forward to working with Revolution to advance investigational therapies that could provide a new way to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer and other cancers that have specific types of genetic mutations.”

Earlier this month, Sanofi announced plans to launch a $66 million R&D hub in China, which will focus on digitalisation and big data analysis.

And in June, the company  announced that it had agreed to sell Zentiva, its European generics business, to investment company Advent International for $2.4 billion. Sanofi also sold most of its infectious disease unit to drug discovery company Evotec last month, for a sum of $74.2 million.

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