Thunderbolt Pharma, Inc., a Vitesse Biologics Company, Acquires Rights to BAFF/APRIL Dual Antagonist Program from Astellas Ph...
24 Mayo 2016 - 7:00PM
Business Wire
- First company established under
Vitesse Biologics, an innovative collaboration formed by Baxalta,
Mayo Clinic and Velocity Pharmaceutical Development
- Thunderbolt Pharma, Inc., will use
technology to develop potential treatments for systemic lupus
erythematosus and other B-cell mediated disorders
Baxalta Incorporated (NYSE: BXLT), Velocity Pharmaceutical
Development, LLC (VPD) and Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE:4503) today
announced that Thunderbolt, Inc., a company established by Vitesse
Biologics, acquired all rights to the Astellas BAFF/APRIL dual
antagonist program through an asset purchase agreement. The
BAFF/APRIL dual antagonists will be developed for B cell disorders
including systemic lupus erythematosus.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524006203/en/
“With this asset purchase from Astellas and the creation of
Thunderbolt, we are excited to begin to accelerate the development
of the BAFF/APRIL dual antagonist program with the potential to
deliver innovative treatments for patients with unmet needs,” said
John Orloff, M.D., head of Research & Development and chief
scientific officer, Baxalta. “This is the first company formed
under the Vitesse Biologics platform, and we look forward to
continuing to build our portfolio to explore new concepts and
technologies.”
“We are pleased to have created this first company as a result
of the novel model in drug development which leverages the basic
science and clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic researchers with the
drug development and manufacturing expertise of our partners, to
accelerate patient therapies for B cell disorders,” said Andrew D.
Badley, M.D., Director of Drug Discovery and the Office of
Translation to Practice, Center for Clinical and Translational
Science (CCaTS) at Mayo Clinic. “Mayo researchers pursue
discoveries that will deliver hope and better health to people
today and into the future.”
“I am really pleased that Velocity, Mayo Clinic and Baxalta
which have strong capabilities of antibody and protein-based
therapeutics in the areas of immunology, hematology, and oncology
will proceed the development of BAFF/APRIL dual antagonist,” said
Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Astellas. “We expect
that innovative treatments could be delivered for patients who
suffer from B cell disorders including systemic lupus
erythematosus.”
Thunderbolt is the first company established by Vitesse
Biologics, a unique collaboration model formed by Baxalta, Mayo
Clinic and VPD focused on the development of antibody and
protein-based therapeutics in the areas of immunology, hematology
and oncology. Baxalta, the Mayo Clinic, VPD and Astellas are all
shareholders in Thunderbolt.
Baxalta, Mayo Clinic and VPD will each contribute to the
development costs associated with the program. Through Vitesse,
Baxalta will provide global commercialization, antibody and protein
development and manufacturing capabilities; through the Office of
Translation to Practice, Mayo Clinic clinicians and researchers
advise on selection of preclinical candidates, disease indications,
and the design and conduct of Phase 1 clinical trials; and VPD will
be responsible for target identification, selection of early stage
drug candidates, will lead the design and execution of pre-clinical
testing and advise the early clinical protocols.
About Vitesse Biologics
Vitesse Biologics, LLC, a Delaware Company based in South San
Francisco, Calif., develops antibody and protein-based therapeutics
in the areas of immunology, hematology and oncology.
About Baxalta
Baxalta Incorporated (NYSE: BXLT) is a global biopharmaceutical
leader developing, manufacturing and commercializing therapies for
orphan diseases and underserved conditions in hematology,
immunology and oncology. Driven by passion to make a meaningful
impact on patients’ lives, Baxalta’s broad and diverse pipeline
includes biologics with novel mechanisms and advanced technology
platforms such as gene therapy. Launched in 2015 following
separation from Baxter International, Baxalta’s heritage in
biopharmaceuticals spans decades. Baxalta’s therapies are available
in more than 100 countries and it has advanced biological
manufacturing operations across 12 facilities, including
state-of-the-art recombinant production and plasma fractionation.
Headquartered in Northern Illinois, with its Global Innovation
Center in Cambridge, Mass., Baxalta employs 17,000 employees
worldwide.
About Velocity
Velocity Pharmaceutical Development, LLC (VPD) is a
pharmaceutical development organization dedicated to rapidly
advancing promising drug candidates to clinical proof of concept
using a highly virtual management model. VPD seeks to acquire
promising drug candidates, generally within a year of their
entering human clinical trials or after initial human clinical data
have been generated. VPD then manages a development program for
each drug candidate intended to generate convincing human proof of
concept data (generally by conducting a phase 2 clinical trial).
Following successful human proof of concept, VPD then seeks a large
pharmaceutical company acquirer for each program. VPD is staffed by
a seasoned team of clinical drug developers with expertise
identifying attractive drug candidates, target markets, and
designing and managing outsourced clinical trials. This expert team
manages multiple single asset companies to remove the costly
overhead and misaligned incentives present in traditional
biotechnology company structures. VPD believes this new
capital-efficient model will yield attractive new drugs to treat
patients with significant unmet clinical needs. The company is
located in South San Francisco, California. More information is
available at www.vpd.net.
About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company
dedicated to improving the health of people around the world
through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical
products. We focus on Urology, Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology and
Neuroscience as prioritized therapeutic areas while advancing new
therapeutic areas and discovery research leveraging new
technologies/modalities. We are also creating new value by
combining internal capabilities and external expertise in the
medical/healthcare business. Astellas is on the forefront of
healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for
patients. For more information, please visit our website at
www.astellas.com/en.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes forward-looking statements concerning
Thunderbolt, Inc., a company established by Vitesse Biologics to
develop BAFF/APRIL dual antagonists for B cell disorders, including
expectations with regard to the development of the product pipeline
and future regulatory actions. Such statements are made of the date
that they were first issued and are based on current expectations,
beliefs and assumptions of management. Forward-looking statements
are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which
involve factors or circumstances that are beyond Baxalta's control
and which could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in the forward-looking statements, including the following:
clinical trial results; satisfaction of regulatory and other
requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental
authorities; changes in laws and regulations; product quality,
manufacturing or supply issues; patient safety issues; and other
risks identified in Baxalta's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other
Securities and Exchange Commission filings, all of which are
available on Baxalta's website. Baxalta expressly disclaims any
intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements
except as required by law.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524006203/en/
Baxalta Media RelationsGeoffrey Mogilner,
+1-224-940-8619, geoffrey.mogilner@baxalta.comorBaxalta Investor
RelationsMary Kay Ladone, +1-224-940-3371,
mary.kay.ladone@baxalta.comLorna Williams, +1-224-940-3511,
lorna.williams@baxalta.comorVelocity Media RelationsLeslie
Loven, +1-415-509-5110, leslie@vpd.netorAstellas Media
RelationsSo Shimada, +81-3-3244-3201
Baxalta Incorporated (NYSE:BXLT)
Gráfica de Acción Histórica
De Nov 2024 a Dic 2024
Baxalta Incorporated (NYSE:BXLT)
Gráfica de Acción Histórica
De Dic 2023 a Dic 2024